Through Time
by MaidenFaye
Summary: When Kaguya appeared, it was too late to save their world. Instead of fighting to survive, Sakura ended up thrown back in time by Hashirama to stop the present events from happening. With no way of returning to her own time, she decided to take the task and change things for the better while making friends along the way. Though she never expected love. -Rated M for later chapters.-
1. Prologue

_**Author's note: So this is my first story on here so reviews would be reeeeally nice. This chapter is a bit short but I needed a quick prologue and I may edit it later so it has more to the fight. Anyway, enjoy :p**_

* * *

It was too late to save the world now. Sasuke and Naruto were fighting as hard as they could while Kakashi and Sakura watched in horror up above. Otsutsuki Kaguya had actually done it, creating an army of mindless beings who assumed the form of their former comrades. All of what they had done was in vain.

"Kakashi-sensei, what do we do now?" Sakura asked looking towards Sasuke who was knocked away with just a wave of the woman's finger.

Kaguya's long hair grabbed Naruto before her could get close to her. She smirked at his actions, mouthing something neither of them could make out. She waved her hand and the lava underneath her rose up, much like Gaara's sand, before she pointed to Naruto. Sasuke leaped and grabbed him before they were caught in the attack.

Unfortunately she pushed her arm forward with force causing swift wind to knock them into the side of the mountain, what was left of it anyway. Sakura jumped down to where they were and immediately started healing their wounds.

"Foolish. Heal them all you want but soon you four will perish. My beautiful nursery will not have any more pests," she spoke, levitating higher into the air.

"We are not going to get out of here alive," Sakura said, mostly to herself. She barely had any Chakra left; none of them did. Kaguya had a technique to drain Chakra around her which caused them so much trouble.

"Iie, we are going to stop her dattebayo!" he shouted as he stood, not realizing he could no longer go into his sage mode.

"It is too late Naruto. We are the only ones left," Sasuke said standing, moving Sakura away. "Can't you sense it?"

"But..." Naruto looked at him in distress, trying to deny it. He could sense it though, the army was close. Everyone they knew were gone and soon they would die.

They all looked up at Kaguya who now motioned her hand at them. Before the three knew it, the ground disappeared and they were falling towards the lava. In a flash they were again safely by Kakashi. The forth had his special kunai is his mouth while the other three Hokage let go of them.

"Spread out!" Tobirama shouted as Kaguya again went to attack.

They all separated just in time. Within a split second she had Sasuke, Kakashi and Hiruzen caught in her hair. Sakura landed and was ready to attack when she was held back by Hashirama. Naruto used his rasengan but too got caught.

"You are Tsuna-chan's student correct?" he asked without hesitation.

"Hai," she replied, shaking.

"We have no future here. There is only one way to stop this disaster," he told her, gaining full undivided attention.

"What do we need to do?"

"You need to return to the past and stop this before it even begins," he said, shocking her.

"How does that even work?" she asked in a higher pitch.

"I just need a distraction," he said looking up at Tobirama.

He nodded before rushing down from up top, catching Kaguya by surprise. He used his water jutsu to cool the lava and cut through some of her hair to release Naruto and Kakashi. Hashirama made many hand signs while mumbling. Down below Tobirama did the same with a scroll in his mouth. He then laid the glowing scroll out, with many markings and a circle in the middle.

"And now you need to stop the previous wars before this one has any chance of happening."

Before Sakura could question anything she was pushed off the cliff by Hashirama. She saw Kaguya use her hair to stop her from falling but Tobirama jumped in the way. Before Sakura knew it she fell through the circle in the scroll and was falling through a rainbow colored portal.

With a yelp she landed on the hard ground in the middle of the forest. She coughed, looking around as much as she could. It was the same area they had been in but something was off and not just because there was no sign of a battle.

She realized that whatever Hashirama did had sent her back in time. There was no more Sasuke. No more Naruto. No more Kakashi-sensei. Not a single person she knew personally and grew up with were around yet and there was still many years before they would even be thought of. After a minute of letting it all sink in, she screamed at the top of her lungs.


	2. Chapter 1

Sakura shook her head as she stood up, stretching to get all the kinks in her back out. Her Chakra wasn't completely replenished but she would use what she could in a fight if needed and survive. The whole time all she could do was think back to what happen, trying to wrap her head around it. It couldn't be possible to travel through time. It had never even been thought of before; no one had never heard of a jutsu or scroll that had anything to do with time. And there was nothing in the history books about the first and second Hokage developing any technique like this.

At least she wasn't screaming for everyone and freaking out in complete denial like she did during the first half hour. It was actually embarrassing thinking about it now. But who could blame her, being sent back into a different time and not sure when it was. There were a few possibilities but somehow Sakura believed in the back of her mind, the First did not think it through and had sent her to his time.

After going over it for a few hours, hoping it was before the Forth Shinobi World War started and analyzing how he said what he said, things did not look good for Sakura. She had no idea where to go or if Konoha had been built yet. She knew from studying, and to be the best in the Academy, that after the alliance between Madara and Hashirama, Konoha was established. If he meant what he said then she may be in that time period.

Though she kept telling herself she was thinking about it way to hard and was getting a headache. She groaned as she started to walk through the forest, looking around to find some indication to if she was right or wrong. They had been been battling for so long that going on for too long would be hazardous to her health. But she had to at least push on until she got out of the clearing.

She started to run, already figuring out a way back to the Land of Fire. If she got back it would hopefully be similar enough to figure out where to go from there. The ocean would be an indicator if she went the right way or not, considering she was not completely which way to go. Depending on the location of battle she would have to reach water within a few hours. If it would be the right waterway to follow back to the Land of Fire depended on her ability to find south and east.

After a while she started to worry again, thinking about all her friends and family who were nothing but empty shells when she left. She wanted to change the future in order to save them but it was all too much to bare. And even if things did change, she would never see them again unless she found the First Hokage. Then the only problem with that was if she was even able to be sent to the future.

_"You need to return to the past and stop this before it even begins."_

It sounded much easier when he said it. But it was a good point. It was all because of Uchiha Madara. If she could somehow stop him now then things would change drastically. Unfortunately this was Uchiha Madara, so his power was of course ridiculously strong. Sakura knew that the only reason she was able to get far was because of Naruto and Sasuke, but she had a chance to show she was stronger and swore that she could do it without them.

"Wait a minute, he couldn't possibly have that much power now," she practically shouted as she stopped, realization hitting her swiftly.

She took a second to let it all sink in. Madara was powerful, but that was because of all the years of experience. He didn't have all that experience yet if she was sent to the right time. In fact he would only know so much and didn't have the deadly techniques he did when they fought against him. There was actually a chance she could be on par, especially with her seal.

One thing bothered her though... why not send Naruto or Sasuke, or both, back instead. Naruto wasn't the quietest but he would be able to keep the future thing a secret if needed and would actually be able to stop Madara. Sasuke was an Uchiha and could find some way to kill him from within the clan compounds. Then again they would ask about Naruto's crazy powerful abilities while Sasuke would be branded a traitor to the clan and killed. If they were both sent back together they could have found a way to do it without too much trouble... right?

_"Who am I kidding!? Those two together alone in a time period where no one could possibly shut them up and stop them from fighting. Not the best idea,"_ she thought with a shiver as she started to run again.

She would be able to get it done without much ruckus, leaving very minimal damage and suspicion. After stopping Madara, she would just need to get back to her future, explain what happened and hope everyone believed her. That was if the First was able to have the jutsu ready at this point. Worse case scenario she was stuck for a good few years to decades waiting for it to be constructed. The thought was horrifying.

Being in the past wouldn't be too bad, she always wondered what it would be like and see everything she read in book happen first hand, but she would hate being away from everyone. She would be so anxious about the entire situation. Thinking about it was to overwhelming and it hurt her head.

* * *

It had only been a couple hours but she finally found the ocean. Sakura wasn't too worried, she was able to determine which way was North and knew how to find her water source. Now she just needed to follow it for a couple days until she was sure she entered the Land of Fire. She looked to the water, wanting to jump in to cool off but decided against it. It was a nippy night and she didn't need to deal with getting sick. As a medic, even though you could heal yourself you still avoid situations that would require this.

She growled at the moons reflection when she started to feel a bit of fear from it. Madara and Kaguya both caused so much trauma in such a short amount of time. Sakura was only seventeen and from here on to the end of her life she would probably always have a bit of fear for the moon. It hit her hard when she realized it. She was now like other War Shinobi who faced terrible things in battle and could never get over it.

She sighed while sitting down. She would rest for a few hours before heading all the way to the Land of Fire. She wanted to make sure she had enough Chakra stored in the seal before heading out so she could use it to help stay away. The amount of time it would take to get there would be cut down by a third if she was able to keeping without sleep or take much of a break. The faster she got there, the faster she could get a plan together.

It had only taken Sakura twenty four hours, give or take, with high speed to reach a specific part of the beach she recognized. Her Chakra was fully restored and her wounds healed. She stood at the beach, staring out as the sun rose and illuminated the sky. It was so pretty, especially when you could see no reflection from the water. For a moment she was able to calm her thoughts, sighing with aggravation.

She would need food soon. Even though she had her seal she could feel her body starting to give out. The last time she had any type of food was hours before they headed out to aid Naruto. Using up her Chakra the way she did was stressful and she was still getting used to it. Training with Tsunade was intense and she could do so much now but her endurance and stamina could only hold out for so long.

"If only I was able to hold out a bit longer," Sakura thought to herself, sighing once again.

"Who are you? What is your purpose here?" a very demanding and deep voice called from behind her in the forest.

She turned around to see a tall man with red hair, his long bangs tied by his chin while the rest held up in a bun. His eyes were brown and glared at her with caution. He wore black clothing with armor that reminded her of the First but in a gray color with close guarding shoulder pads and bandages wrapping around his shins. His hand grabbed onto his sword as she turned to look at him. It confused her for a minute, unsure as to why he would even react in such a way.

"I mean no harm. I am just trying to get somewhere," she told him, putting her hands in the air. She needed to avoid fighting as much as possible right.

"Why do you have that Seal?" he asked with a grunt. She put her arms down, rubbing her forehead.

"Why do you need to know?" she snapped back, getting into a fighting stance.

"Our Mito-sama is the other person to have such a Seal..."

Mito-sama?

"And only those with skill as impressive as hers within the Uzumaki Clan can use it..."

Uzumaki Clan!?

"Thus only she can use it," he spoke with anger. "And it was only developed recently. How do you have the Seal?"

Sakura tried to think of something fast, going through every excuse she could think of. She couldn't tell him, or anyone, where she was from or why she was there and definitely couldn't explain the Seal. Her mind was to scrambled with the Uzumaki thing. She never really heard of Mito or the Uzumaki Clan in history. She only knew Tsunade talk about her grandparents and their power.

That's when it hit her. Going through the time period and what her Shisho had said about developing the technique further, Mito had to be the powerful Obaa-sama that Tsunade had mention briefly before. There wasn't enough time in-between history for anyone else to have it. She looked up at this man and stood straight, causing him to glare with slight confusion.

"My name is Sakura and I have just been in battle. Right now I am just wandering around until I can figure out what to do. As for this Seal, My Shisho taught me. I cannot disclose any further information. I am sure you understand that," she started, hoping he would leave her be so she could try to fix the mess she was in. "As I said before I mean no harm."

"Why should I trust you?" he asked starting to stand down.

"Because as you see I am in no condition to fight anyone. And honestly I do not really have much of a home any longer," she said, using her torn battle outfit to her advantage. Though she was feeling drained and wasn't sure if she could fight if it came down to it. And if she had to use any other technique then it would only cause problems.

"What clan do you hail?" he asked civilized.

"He sure did change his tune quickly," she thought. Instead of answering she looked away, hoping he would take the hint. It wasn't like it was a lie. She didn't have a clan here and was alone.

"So you have no clan then?" he asked with sympathy.

She glanced through her hair to see him walking closer. He seemed a bit sadden from his assumption, this was a war torn era after all. Sakura nodded and noticed her vision getting blurry. She swallowed hard and fell suddenly, blacking out.

* * *

Sakura was not a morning person, this everyone knew all too well. But as soon as she could smell dumplings, fish and other various foods that made her mouth water, she jumped up from where she was laying and saw a small spread of food. It all looked delicious and all she could think about was digging into it all. She didn't even notice someone was already by the sliding door.

"So you have finally woken up?" a woman said startling the pinkette. "So you do have the Seal... If you wish to eat now then eat your fill. Mito-sama will be here within minutes to speak with you."

With that she left the room, leaving Sakura completely confused. She would have thought twice on it but immediately went for the food. She couldn't help but stuff her face quickly, trying to savoir the taste. It was so much better than any food she had tasted back home. Even her favorite restaurant had nothing on this.

"You must have been exhausted and starving to eat that much," another voice said closing the door as she walked in. Sakura almost chocked on her rice, alarmed.

She wiped her mouth and looked at the woman to blame. She had red hair in two buns with a talisman dangling from each one, a crown adorned atop her head. Her yukata was teal with a light pink flowery design, red trimming and a red obi. She had dark colored eyes and light coloring on her lips. She was so beautiful, something about her screamed royalty. She sat on her knee by Sakura.

"Eh, it has been a while since I had a decent meal," she said blushing with embarrassment.

"You do have pink hair," she commented. Always with the pink hair.

"Yeah. Not the most inconspicuous," she replied with a nervous laugh.

"I am Uzumaki Mito, as I am sure you have been made aware," she smiled with a slight bow.

"Hai. My name is Sakura,"

"Your seal... I was told you learned it from your Shisho," Mito stated. Sakura nodded, wanting to eat more so badly, but decided not to be rude. "I find it hard to believe. I am the first to have..."

"Developed it. It is impossible for someone other than you to have such a thing," she sighed, looking at the woman. "Forgive me but I have heard it from another someone already."

"Uzashi," Mito chuckled to herself. "He is another member of the clan. Many respect me with high regards. I should have known you would hear that already. Though you can see why we are curious."

"I am sorry Mito-sama," Sakura bowed slightly. "But I am unable to give you that information."

"Is the information that sensitive?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"It is. I am not sure if I am allowed to tell anyone anything about me but there is some things I can tell you," she replied.

She half expected a interrogation when she woke, not food and a simple conversation. It was a little off to her, but this woman seemed to be understanding and caring. She also reminded her of Tsunade's calmer and serious side, which also pushed the whole Obaa-sama theory she had earlier. She looked to the ground and sighed; if she ever came across the First in battle she would make sure to punch it right in the nose for all this crap. Even if he didn't know what it was for.

"Understood." Mito stood and opened the sliding door, looking back at Sakura. "If you have no clan or affiliation, you are welcome to stay here with us. We know about loss; it is never easy and we could not imagine being on our own."

"Wait..." she stopped her, taken aback. "Why are you being so kind to a stranger?"

"You are harmless to us. I sense no ill will from you so I trust you. This is something the others will be able to sense as well." Mito gave her a simple smile before leaving.

* * *

_**Author's Note: So I wanted to get a few chapters up and make sure I keep up with my story. Thus I updated as quickly as possible. I have tried to do sooooooo much research to determine location, the next few major events and everything and so far I think it's okay. Finally some dialogue and characters, it irked me when I wasn't able to add that in earlier on.**_

_**And I am not sure if it is going to be true to the original storyline or if my tweaking has to stay for storylien effect but... Does anyone have any clue or know of any indication that Uzumaki Mito actually had the Strength of a Hundred seal/Hyakugo seal/Reserve Seal or if it was for look purposes? (And which do you think I should call it?).. I know it says Tsunade developed it but I cannot for the life of me remember if that was true or if Mito may have developed it while Tsunade expand on it '^.^**_


	3. Chapter 2

It was ridiculous how fast Hashirama ran off. One minute the Senju and Uchiha were locked in battle and the next Hashirama calls his clan back and retreated, much to Tobirama's plead for them not too. Madara just couldn't understand why the man had changed so suddenly. He wasn't being cowardly as some of the Uchiha had suspected. No he knew something else was the reason; the look in his eye seemed to change drastically.

Whatever the reason it did not matter now. He stood on the walkway of the Uchiha house, looking up to the rising moon, contemplating the constant offer from the Senju. Deep down he wanted their dream to come true, for there to be peace without senseless bloodshed. But so many have died that there would always be ill wil between the clans.

"You're thinking about it again aren't you Aniki," Izuna said sneaking up behind him. Madara sighed and turn to his younger brother.

"Iie. Just curious as to why they retreated," he covered. It wasn't like he was lying; with Izuna it would be better to just not tell the whole truth sometimes.

"Well that is hard to believe," he remarked, with obvious approval in his voice.

"It's true, something was off." Izuna sighed with a nod.

"I can see it. Senju do not just back off as quickly as they did today," Izuna said with a smirk, looking to the side. "Even Tobirama seemed shocked and angry with the decision."

"We have a day to rest before going back into battle. This could be an Uchiha advantage," Madara said turning and jumping off and headed towards the training grounds.

"Sounds like a good plan," Izuna said as he followed his distraught brother.

* * *

Sakura wasn't stupid. She could tell how fake the smile Mito gave her was. She had spent enough time with Sai, and forcing her own a good portion of her life, to know a good difference between real and fake smiles. It did seem a little too convenient for them to give her a place to stay and have this much generosity for a strange in these war torn times.

She understood it though. They had to deal with the white Zetsu pretending to be people from the Shinobi Alliance and that itself cause a big trust problem. In war you could never be too careful. She had to give it to them though, they did take the opportunity to add a strange herb to the Miso soup that would paralyze her Chakra and possibly paralyze her in the process. She had only read about it from a medical book Tsunade had given her but because Sakura had some information on it, she was able to make a quick antidote. It was surprisingly simple too.

She stood still on a branch, looking around carefully before continuing to leap through the trees. She had asked for some specific herbs to help get rid of an infection from a dirty 'wound', in which she found a stupid Uzumaki who reminded her of a young and naive (stupid) Naruto, to be able to make the antidote. When Mito found out, Sakura had already take the antidote and ran. She had been running from them for hours but regardless she had food in her system so maintaining her stamina and endurance would be a bit easier now. she didn't have to rely on all the Chakra she had.

Most of them seemed to have retreated, not wasting their time on her. Mito on the other hand was still going strong with ambition. Sakura treated the situation as if it was a more serious training exercise with her Shisho. This is turned help considering Mito and Tsunade did have some similar qualities, though because it was a different time Sakura was able to use more advanced stuff to get away easier.

But Mito was a sensor type. Her Shisho was not. This was the biggest issue she was going to encounter. Instead of setting up traps and running, she had to either run or stop to fight. Mito was eventually going to catch up and Sakura didn't know the area very well and was at a disadvantage.

A kunai flew at her from the side without warning. She jumped down to avoid it, ready to get into a fighting stance as she landed but instead had to grab the sword that tried to stab her. Their eyes locked, both determined to beat the other. Mito now wore the Uzumaki battle armor, just like Uzashi. Sakura threw her off and aimed for the woman. Mito jumped back and Sakura hit the ground, causing the area around to break apart.

She looked back up at Mito whose wide eyes couldn't seem to leave the ground. Obviously this kind of power hadn't been seen yet in this era. She snapped out of it and grabbed her kunai, going after Sakura with an intent to kill. Sakura jumped into the trees and grabbed the stray kunai, using it to block the others throw at her. She grabbed another and ran off with Mito close behind.

"Futon: Yashi no Shotto!" Mito shouted, punching her palms forward, causing powerful whirls of wind to flow from her arms. She struck near Sakura, causing her to fall from the trees.

She took the opportunity to land and throw one at Mito, jumping at her as well. The Uzumaki dodged her attack, slicing Sakura's side with her short sword as she passed with a missed punch. Sakura took her chance to elbow Mito in the back, directly to the lung area. She fell to the ground with a great deal of force, practically gasping for air. She recovered as quickly as she could and threw her sword at Sakura.

"Futon: Kaze no Uzu," Mito quickly made hand signals and sucked in. She blew out a massive gust of air that concentrated itself to a smaller shape, breaking through any and every obstacle, a.k.a the trees, as she attempted to hit Sakura.

Sakura jumped up to avoid it but Mito quickly moved her head to her direction, making the wind vortex shoot upward with high speed. She had to think fast since she wasn't able to do too much more. Mito was faster than expected, matching Naruto and Sasuke even, and she started to use jutsu on top of that. Both of which she had never even heard of before.

Sakura grabbed a branch and pushed herself away, placing her free hand to her side. She then jumped to the ground and smashed the ground, causing the woman to fall before running off. She needed to extract the poison that she knew was on that sword as quickly as possible. If it wasn't amazing chakra and sensing skills it was sealing techniques. If it wasn't sealing techniques it was poison. The Uzumaki clan sure were stubborn and powerful which was a good yet dangerous combination. It all made sense know; why Naruto was capable of anything if he set his mind to it.

"Kunoichi!"

Sakura was caught off guard for a moment, when she heard that voice. Within a quick second her mood changed and she turned to the side to see if she was correct. There he was, the First. He stood there, somewhat confused when he saw her fleeing. She stopped and turned his way, her aura raging with anger.

"Shannaro!" she shouted, punching him right in the face and making him fly back a few yards.

It didn't matter if he knew what he did or not, she had been so pissed that it was hard to hold back at this point in time. It was one thing when he pushed her without warning, but it was another thing when she was forced into the past without knowing what the hell he wanted her to do.

"I was... just going to help..." he whined, sitting up, holding what could be a broken nose.

"You... just..." She let out an aggravated sigh, trying to keep calm before she did something else stupid.

"I guess I may actually deserve that," he said maneuvering his nose as he stood. "You do not seem to be doing to well in this era" She stood there staring at him with disbelief.

"How do you know I'm not from this era?" she asked.

"I was able to send myself back. Well my soul at least. I was able to gain my future memories in order to stop what happened in our world," he said walking over to her, with caution.

"Our world?"

"Hai. As soon as you went through time a separate timeline was created for us to alter. We may not be able to fix our previous world but here we can. I'm sorry I got you into this but I could not do this alone and Tobirama would have only cause more problems than we could have solved."

Sakura looked down, suddenly feeling a bit lost. This was too much to deal with. If they were in a different world then they could not go back to their timeline. It made so much sense in order to stop Madara but that didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt. She tried to keep her breathing even so she wouldn't start to cry.

"Forgive me, I didn't think it through. I just wanted a chance for everyone to live peacefully and to actually be alive," he said in a regretful tone.

"I get it," she said letting it sink in.

Hashirama quickly grabbed her and got them both out of the way to avoid the various gust of wind. Sakura had almost forgotten about Mito, they were still in the middle of a battle. She swallowed the lump that built in her throat and took a deep breath. She would have to deal with her emotions later when she had time. She got into a fighting stance as the woman jumped out from the trees, ready to fight.

"Mito!" Hashirama exclaimed. Sakura had to grab his hair and pull him back before he ran to her.

"Does she even know you yet?" Sakura whispered noticing that the woman seemed unmoved by his presence. Hashirama opened his mouth to answer but couldn't seem to say anything.

"You." Mito pointed her sword towards him, eyes glaring. "You are Senju Hashirama, correct?"

"Hai, Mito-san. We do not have any intention to harm you or your clan. This girl is alone here and means no harm. I promise you this," he spoke with seriousness, making Mito ease up.

"I suppose your word is as much as I can get. I cannot determine if you telling the full truth but I will trust you. We have never had issues with the Senju and I will not be the one to start a feud," she said as she lowered her sword.

"I appreciate this Mito-san," he sighed, relieved. She put her sword away and turned to leave.

"The poison is not deadly as long as you remove it in the next twelve hours." With that she started to walk away. Sakura sighed, clutching her side as she had forgotten her wound had been there.

"Wait, Mito-san. You did injure her after all..."

Sakura looked up at him with a glare.

"And we will need rest in order to return to the Senju. As you know we would have trouble when night falls..."

"Iie, please tell me he isn't doing what i think he is!" Sakura thought, horror plastered on her face.

"The least you could do is offer us a place to stay. We are only a few hours away," he suggested with a smile towards the Uzumaki.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched; she could not believe he just did that. She had just ran away because they tried to paralyze and kill her and now they were going back!?

"That is not the best idea Senju-san," she said without stopping.

"Wait! Here me out," he said chasing after her.

Sakura could only stand there, gawking at the familiar site. It was like watching Naruto when he screwed up or chased after her when they were younger. It did bring a smile to her face though, with Mito ignoring him as much as possible while he kept trying to convince her. The First was not what Sakura had expected, especially seeing him act this way. This era was going to be difficult to handle, but she had no choice but to get use to it. Hopefully with his memories, it would make things a little easier. At least she wasn't completely alone now.

* * *

She groaned when she had to adjust her yukata while sitting on her knees. She wasn't use to wearing anything other than her ninja gear or her usual casual clothing when she didn't have missions. She was a bit relieved to get out of her war outfit and didn't realize how war torn it was. The jacket had been ripped beyond repair with the symbol on the back completely torn off, something that would have caused even more problems according to Hashirama. She had no idea that it was the Uzumaki clan symbol and that it was used on the jackets after Konoha was constructed as a sign of the alliance with Uzushiogakure. The rest of it was torn in various parts with her sleeves burnt from being around the lava and part of the pant leg missing.

She was given a simple white yukata with green leaves on the bottom, climbing up on vines thinning near the top and a red obi; her hair tied up in a ponytail. She was able to put it on after Mito helped to remove the poison in her system. The woman planned ahead, poisoning it with a slow releasing poison just in case she could get a hit on Sakura before she got away since she did not know her fighting style.

Hashirama had only taken off his armor while Mito had changed into a white yukata was red trimming and a matching obi. Uzashi had dark blue hakama with a matching haori that had the symbol on the back and a gray top. She noticed that he looked pretty young, and even sounded younger than when she first met him. He had probably tried to seem older when threatened by her when she was just a stranger. The two Uzumaki both spoke with each other before looking to their guests.

"Our clan leader put me in charge of everyone while we are in the Land of Fire. We are leaving to go back to Uzushiogakure sometime tomorrow. So we decided to let you stay, since we have some matters to deal with," Mito stated, trying to avoid eye contact with Hashirama.

Sakura found it a bit intriguing and sweet. Hashirama had been able to convince her to let them stay and she seemed to have a bit of problem with it. Sakura had watched from afar when the discussed the situation and noticed how Mito would try to keep her gaze away from Hashirama, or else she would start to blush. He seemed to have caught Mito's interest yet she seemed a bit reluctant and shy when it came to talking with him. The whole way there she tried to avoid him and keep a conversation with Sakura instead, no matter how awkward it had been.

"We appreciate your hospitality," he said with a slight bow.

"You're not going to try to paralyze us are you?" Sakura said without thinking. She immediately covered her mouth when she realized what she said.

"Not this time. We were only concerned about our clans safety," Uzashi spoke, looking down.

"It is understandable. Though you did not have to take it so far," Hashirama said scratching the back of his head.

"The whole purpose was for good reason. I would still like to know who taught you that seal, and where did you get such amazing strength?" Mito asked Sakura.

"As I said before... I cannot tell you," she said, feeling as if they were just going in circles on the subject.

"You must understand why such things cannot be revealed Mito-san," Hashirama said defensively. Mito let out a heavy sigh and left the subject alone. At least when he said some Mito would not argue.

"Though if I may ask, what is your relationship to each other?" Uzashi asked as he looked between the two.

Both of them looked at each other, obviously they forgot to go over a vital piece of information. Sakura had not given it any thought even though they had time when they where heading to the compound. Her thoughts were scrambled as she tried to think of a good lie. She needed one fast or else they would get suspicious again and there would be more questions.

"We have only known each other for a limited amount of time. She has no family or friends and is now on her own. I was going to give her a place among the Senju," he replied without hesitation or a second thought.

"At least one of us had a good excuse," she thought as she sighed.

"How unfortunate for you to not have family. It is nice that someone is there to look out for you," Uzashi said with a slight smile at her.

Sakura smiled back but frowned , and got a little scared, when she glanced at Mito who had a fake smile again. This time she was holding back her anger and tried to be polite but still gave off an uneasy and threatening aura. Mito was probably getting the wrong idea with how kind Hashirama had been acting to her. The last thing she needed was Mito to be jealous and try to find some way to kill her.

"Is that such a wise idea? We all know the Senju and Uchiha have been locked in battle for a long time and as of late it is getting even more intense. Her skills are useful no doubt but I did notice a lack of jutsu." Sakura could tell by Mito's voice she was not happy. "She will fall in battle, it is a stupid decision."

"You do not have to be so harsh," he said with an upset tone, his head hung low.

"Mito-sama, why not have her stay here?" Uzashi suggested, looking towards his elder.

"Pardon?" Mito looked at him as if he had lost his senses.

"We are known for our sealing abilities but we are lacking on healers. She is a medic as we found out when inspecting her wound when she arrived," he said trying to convince her.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you do have a good argument," Mito looked to Hashirama.

"What do you propose we do?" he asked her, crossing his arms.

"If we took her in then she would be a medic as well as teach some of our villagers. We only have a few to spare for the clan and village. Since she would have nowhere to go other than departing with you it should not be too much to ask," Mito said with her eyes closed.

"Well... It is up to her to decided," he said looking towards Sakura.

"Oh now they acknowledge me." She glared at him in return.

"Give me the night to think over some things?" she suggested, unsure.

"That would be fine. We do not have to leave so soon, right Mito-sama?" Uzashi asked with a smile.

She nodded in agreement.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Thank you some much everyone for the reviews and input on the seal! I love you all so much! I decided to go ahead and use the Japanese name of the seal since I have already used Japanese phrases various time in the story. And I am also going with my original idea of Mito having it but not fully developing it. :)**_

_**Futon: Yashi no Shotto - Wind Release: Palm Shot**_

_**Futon: Kaze no Uzu - Wind Release: Wind Vortex**_

_**I am not very imaginative when it comes to jutsu :p**_


	4. Chapter 3

Sakura sighed as she sat outside her room, legs hanging over the side of the walkway. She had to think about the new situation she was in, and honestly she didn't want to go with the Uzumaki. First off she was suppose to help Hashirama stop Madara, at least that was what she assumed he wanted her to do. Was it because he had changed his plans or maybe she was sent to the wrong time period? She groaned and laid back, so unsure what to do.

But would she fit in with the Senju properly? And if she was able to, what could she possibly achieve fighting against so many Uchiha? Every time she thought of a way to go with one option, another reason came up as to why she shouldn't. All in all she wasn't sure what to do and Hashirama had never given an explanation as to what he wanted her here for.

She sat up, laying back on her hands. Times like this she missed her friends. Ino was pretty good at listening when she needed to vent and Kakashi-sensei, along with Yamato-taicho, could sometimes give good advice. Even Sai could be helpful at a time like this. And If she talked to Naruto he would somehow get involved to fix the problem...or make it worse. It really depended on the situation.

The thought of what would happen if the Uzumaki clan had found him was too horrifying and slightly questionable. Sasuke on the other hand would have caused so much chaos just for being an Uchiha. If the two males had been sent back together, she now knew for a fact that all hell would have broke loose. Then again she wasn't sure what their plan would have been when arriving. She definitely couldn't see Naruto using the shoreline like she did and Sasuke's method wouldn't be easy to calculate.

"You seem to be thinking really hard," Hashirama said, walking up the walkway. She only glared at him and looked away. "Why do I get the feeling everyone is having a problem with me today," he said with his head hanging low.

"You don't think twice before you speak or act," she commented.

"You probably would have liked things to go differently I suppose," he said sitting down next to her and looking to the moon.

"You have no idea," she retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What exactly am I doing here? If I don't go with you then how am I expected to help stop Madara?"

"Madara's only sibling, Izuna, is going to die from an injure Tobirama inflicts on him," he started, suddenly serious. "When that happens he gains the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan yet still ends up falling in battle. That is when we formed an alliance and built Konohagakure. I was originally going to have you come with me so we could prevent Izuna from dying and still find a way to form the village."

"But?" she asked.

"Unfortunately I began to go over each scenario of what could possibly happen and realized that Tobirama himself was one to cause problems. If Izuna were to stay alive then Madara still would not join due to his wishes. Even if we did still form an alliance, Izuna and Tobirama would always find a way to go after each other and at some point would have everyone going against each other once again."

"What are you suggest we do then?" she asked with knitted brows.

"Izuna will have to die as much as I know it will hurt Madara. There is still time before this happens and Mito-chan did have a point when it comes to your ability. I am not saying you are not powerful but you will have to get use to this era before going in battle with Uchiha," Hashirama said sternly, his elbows on top his knees with his hands in front of his face as he looked down.

"I am capable of much more than you probably realize," she defended.

"You need time to adjust. I will be speaking with Mito-chan about you staying with the Uzumaki. They need help as she admitted and if you were to help them learn then they can enter battle with us. We lost so many Senju because of Madara; having the Uzumaki by our side when that time comes to help ware them down much quicker and save lives at the same time," he said sitting up straight to look at her.

Sakura took a minute to understand what he was saying. It was a long shot to have them ally with the Senju, especially this early in the timeline... now that she knows she was sent back further back than she had hopped. It looked as if Konoha wouldn't be built anytime soon thus she probably could teach some to be medics while training for the battle. Though with how Mito acted towards Hashirama he could possibly convince her to help in the battle.

She had so much to think about. Right now she had no choice but to go along with what he had planned since she really didn't have much of a choice in anything else. She sighed and nodded, deciding to leave with them.

"Well, I suppose you have some good points. Are we going to keep in contact?" she asked as she stood.

"Of course. We will send out messenger birds and code any scrolls we send for safety purposes," he said as he stood, facing her.

"You will have to give me a heads up everything that happens so we can plan everything properly,"

"That will not be too hard. I will see you tomorrow then... uhhh..." he stopped, staring at the floor thinking.

"You have no idea what my name is do you?" she asked crossing her arms.

"I may not have gotten your name or I have forgotten it," he said rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. This whole time he had plans, involved her in them yet he didn't even think about asking her name.

"You are unbelievable," she remarked with her hands on her hips.

"Gomen..." he said bowing.

"It's Sakura." With that she turned to her room and slide the door open, slamming it shut as she looked back at him.

* * *

She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the light. Morning finally came around and Sakura felt like she was up all night. Her mind would not stop racing throughout the night, thinking about the current situation and going over the story Hashirama had told her. If his plan worked out then there was still a risk due to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan which would lead to the Rinnegan. He didn't really explain how he was going to prevent Madara from turning this time but if he knew what happened already then at least things could be changed.

She knew now that going with the Uzumaki may actually be for the best. If things worked out she would be stuck here and would have to move on with her life. Needless to say she would be stuck in this era anyway, so might as well make the best of it. Right now her main priority would be to gain Mito's trust and hope the rest of the clan would accept her.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes before throwing her covers off. She grabbed the yukata she wore last night and put it on. She slid her door open and began to walk around the compound. Some people were already up, getting ready to depart. Uzashi glanced her way, pardoning himself before running to see her. Sakura stopped for a moment so he could catch up.

"Ohayo Sakura-san," he greeted with a smile.

"Ohayo. When exactly do we leave?" she asked politely.

"When Mito-sama has completed her preparations. I take it you will be joining us after all?" he smiled.

"I will. Have you seen... Hashirama?" she asked looking around to see if she could spot him anywhere, hoping he did not leave.

"I had last seen him..." he started, his hand to his chin as he thought. "I do believe he went to the main house looking for none other than Mito-sama," he chuckled.

"Arigato," she bowed, walking off to the main house.

"May I accompany you?" he said jogging up next to her.

"Of course." Sakura looked to him. "Usashi-san, why did you defend me?" He looked to her with a curious gaze.

"I suppose it is because I cannot help but sympathize with you. You had said you no longer have a family, something I understand. I have my clan but the rest of my direct family had been killed with the ongoing war," he told her as he looked away.

She stopped walking and looked down, hoping her hair would cover her face. That was the last thing she expected, but in reality it made sense. Especially with the war. She felt guilty for asking it, knowing he had probably been thinking about it since they met.

"Gomen, I should not have asked," she bowed.

"Sakura-san please... it is no problem I assure you," he said in a panic. "It has been many years and I have Mito-sama. I was the one sympathizing with you."

She looked up to see him with his hands up defensively and a nervous, panicking look on his face. It reminded her of Naruto a little bit; as it seemed some traits Naruto had inherited were without a doubt from the Uzumaki Clan. She gave him a small smile, hoping he would calm down.

"I guess I should have said it in a different way," he said rubbing the back of his head.

"I should have guessed before asking," she said as they turned the corner.

"It is alright. I was young after all and at least I know they died doing the right thing," he shrugged.

"How so?" The smile he gave actually looked as if he was proud.

"The Land of Whirlpools is full of people whom the Uzumaki clan had saved from this war. Originally a compound was a few miles from here was the place they would take them so everyone orphaned or left alone had a place to stay. Uzushiogakure was formed so that the Shinobi part of the clan had a specific place to live when we are home preparing for things. This is only mainland place we have to come to. My parents were here with a few others trying to help people when they were all attacked. They had killed our rivals but practically died in the process, saving some of the people who lived there."

"That is..." she started, trying to figure out what to say.

"If it had not been for my parents and my older sister then many people would have died. After that, the Clan Leader moved everyone to the Land of Whirlpools and had this place built so we had a compound to stay until we finished our business. If we found people who needed a place someone will take the away immediately to avoid the previous disaster," he explained, trying to think of any detail he may have left out.

"I guess I got different treatment because I am a Shinobi and caused chaos," she said with a weak smile.

"Exactly. When I heard you had no family I felt the need to help you regardless. If you did not have the same Seal as Mito-sama you may have been given a chance," he said looking to her.

Both looked ahead to see an aggravated Mito rushing toward them, a blush plastered on her face. She charged past, ignoring the two and focusing on her path. The two looked to each other with complete confusion, questioning each other with a look before glancing back at her.

"We are leaving as soon as I get my things," she called back to them.

"Did we miss a vital piece of information?" Uzashi asked her with knitted brows.

"Wait... I think I have an idea what caused her raging," Sakura said walking down and looking around the corner.

She saw Hashirama walking towards them, holding his bleeding nose in agony. She nodded to herself, confirming she was right. He had probably said something again that made her angry and she punched in the face. Kind of like Sakura had just the day before. The man had issues that seemed to make her question the effectiveness of their plan.

"What did you say?" she greeted, with a raised eyebrow.

"I said nothing actually," he said while wiping the blood away with the back of his hand.

* * *

Hashirama had practically left without another word to anyone after he had a small chat with Sakura. He would contact her as soon as he could and would let her know how far back they actually were. Apparently the clans clashed so much throughout the years it was difficult to tell exactly when they were... even for him.

As soon as Mito had gotten the word out, the clan gathered and went on their way. They had taken a day to get close to the edge of the Land of Fire to get closer to the Land of Whirlpools. They were currently riding a few small boats back to Uzushio, making Sakura nervous. She would have to speak with the clan leader with Mito and she hadn't even spoken with the woman much. It was uncomfortable being around her and Hashirama made it worse with whatever he did or said earlier.

At least with the rest of the Uzumaki it was easy going and they did not say anything about her being there. Kind of the way it was with Uzashi. It made it a little easier to think and clear her head but when she thought about talking with the leader she started to panic inside. But she ignored as best as she could, hoping things worked out okay.

She started to miss everyone in times like these. Sure she was able to get through things on her own but it was nice having her childhood friends, no matter how close they were if they were close at all, by her side. She really missed Konoha most of all. That was one thing that kept her going; the thought of being able to be back in her village. Even if it was a slow start, things would get better.

She could have a somewhat normal life again, as well as being close to the Hokage as well. He owes her big time for all this. Though she wondered what she would do about Mito. She was suppose to be his wife in the future but the relationship is a bit broken. Mito seemed like she liked him but at the same time she also got furious with him. Sakura hated the fact she may have gotten the habit from hanging around Naruto and Ino too much but she had the urge to get involved and try to fix things.

They finally arrived after what seemed like hours upon hours of being on water. She step out and looked around, walking with the rest just past the trees. She was instantly reminded of teams seven's first mission; the place had a similar feeling to the Land of Waves but had a more sophisticated feel to it. The houses were more traditional of course and the pillars around had the Uzumaki symbol on them. There was plenty of space around and a few giant buildings that looked like something from Konoha.

She watched as people in the streets stopped what they were doing to greet those who arrived back. You could just see how they were all so close knit, families coming out of the houses just to greet their loved ones. She giggled when Uzashi was jumped and knocked down by the children of the village. He knew it was coming but didn't brace himself, instead allowing them to knock him down so he could hug them all.

"You come with me," Mito said as she passed, leading the way down the street.

Mito fit this place perfectly; the way she looked and how she was calm and collective, without Hashirama in the picture. Many of the Uzumaki in the village had this feel about them too. It was so strange to Sakura, especially since the only Uzumaki she had ever known was a loud mouth who had a short fuse. Unless you counted Tsunade who, even if just a descendant, still had that blood flowing through her veins. She and Hashirama had more of a resemblance than she and Mito, so it may not count.

Sakura followed Mito to a large tower that looked like a smaller version of the Hokage tower. As she passed, people would look at her. Some would have a naive confused look while others would have a questioning look. She felt so out of place with all the red heads. Only a select few had a different hair color and facial feature, whom she could only guess were the people Uzashi had mention were saved.

"Stay here for a moment," Mito said opening the sliding door.

Sakura began to worry after a few minutes, twiddling her thumbs. She almost didn't notice the little girl who tugged on her yukata. She looked to the little girl who had to have been at least ten. Her hair was a bright red in a ponytail that had many different colored ribbons in it with bangs cut just above her dark green eyes. The pretty purple yukata she wore had many dirt spots and tears on the bottom and she wore no shoes.

"Your hair is pretty," she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Uh, Arigato," she smiled. "What is your name?" Sakura bent down on her knees to look at the girl better.

"Uzumaki Miyo," she answered with a blush.

"My name is Sakura, it's nice to meet you."

"Why did Mito-sama bring you here? We haven't been allowed new visitors for a long time," Miyo said glancing in her direction curiously.

"I am a medic. I am going to be healing people here," she replied. She saw the girl instantly perk up with interest.

"Do you... need help?" she asked shyly. Sakura couldn't help but smile, thinking of Hinata back in the academy days when seeing the way this girl blushed and acted.

"I could use a guide. Or someone to help me gather what I need when I need it," she offered. Miyo actually looked at her in the eyes with such interest.

"I can help. I know every inch of the village and can get anything anyone needs," she said with glee.

"Yeah when you sneak into peoples houses," Uzashi said with a grin.

"It was one time," she heard the girl mumble.

"Sakura-san, I see you met my cousin." Sakura gasped in surprise, looking between the two.

Their attention was suddenly drawn back to the sliding door, where Mito stood. The woman took a moment to sigh and glanced at Sakura. She looked between them all and gave a nod to Uzashi. He nodded in response and took motioned for Miyo to follow him.

"Wait," Miyo quickly untied a red ribbon from her hair and gave it to Sakura. "Take this as a promise between us okay?" she smiled as she practically shoved it at Sakura before running off with Uzashi trying to chase after her.

Sakura giggled as they ran away. The ribbon reminded her of Ino, back when they were kids. It made her want to cry right then and there, flooding her with emotions. She knew she didn't have time right now, with Mito standing there waiting. She held her breath to calm herself and then tied the ribbon in her hair like her headband, the bottom tucked away at the base of her neck.

She stood and followed Mito inside, making her way to the middle of the room where they both sat on there knees. Before them were two elderly men one with gray hair who looked older than the Third Hokage and the other had pale brown hair and an annoyed look. The one in the middle had long white hair, mustache and a squared-off goatee. Mito and Sakura both bowed slightly as they bowed back.

"This is the girl you spoke of?" the one in the middle asked.

"Hai Ojii-sama, she is recommended by the Senju and is an excellent medic," she replied.

"Sakura. Interesting. I heard you were able to cure the paralysis poison my granddaughter gave you. And that you escaped with stealth," he commented, eyeing her.

"H-hai," she nodded, feeling uneasy. She thought being around Mito was bad but being around this man was terrifying.

"We have not had many medics with such quick skills. It is intiguing to say the least," he said while looking between the two. "Where did you learn these abilities?"

"My Shisho. She was very skilled when it came to healing and she had passed down her techniques to me," she replied as truthfully as she could. He nodded before replying.

"I am the Clan Leader, Honshi. From what I have been told it would seem my best decision is to allow you a place to stay but only with the supervision of Mito-chan. You must have had to endure much in order to gain the same Seal my granddaughter had created, in such a short time of being with the clan in the Land of Fire." Sakura was not sure what he meant but kept quiet.

"She is alone without family as I had mentioned. While we give her a place to ssaty she can teach our medics how to heal as a way to repay us." Mito spoke.

"I see." The man closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Very well then."

"Argitao," Sakura bowed, a little relieved.

"So, tell me about your relationship with Senju Hashirama."

* * *

It was an agonizing half hour, trying to explain the same thing she had to explain to Mito. Luckily she had Mito on her side and quickened the little meeting. Apparently to avoid further questioning and to gain more trust from the leader, Mito lied and had said the entire situation had happened when the first arrived as to give Sakura time to train with Mito and gain the seal.

If Mito trusted Sakura then the leader would. It relieved her a bit, knowing the woman was trying to give Sakura a break. She had a feeling this was all because of whatever Hashirama had said before she left. It didn't matter now, she was set for a while and could relax.

Sakura was currently in the bath house relaxing in the steaming water. She heard Mito mumbling under her breathe, mostly insults, as she undressed and undid her hair. It was so sudden and she was so lost in thought, an amusing sight to see. Sakura groaned as the woman began to step in the water, feeling inadequate about herself. Mito had a perfect slim figure to match her height and her boobs were two sizes larger than Sakura. It was hard to see with the clothing she wore.

She never admitted it too much but she would constantly compare herself with all the others, hating how small she was. She was close to being a full adult and would forever have tiny boobs. It was ridiculous to be thinking of things as trivial as this in her situation but it was something that would not leave her mind.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?" Mito asked with concern.

"Yeah. Just thinking," she sighed.

"If you have any problem you can speak with me. You are going to be living with us for quite some time until Hashirama takes you back to the Senju so while you are here I am here for you," she said softly, brushing her long hair into the water with her fingers. She seemed different, more relaxed and happy.

"I just need time to get use to things that's all," she replied looking away.

"If you say so."

Sakura knew she would have to get to know Mito a bit more. She was right, Hashirama could have sent them back a few months to a few years and no way of knowing how long she had. Mito was her way to many things here so it wouldn't hurt to talk with her, especially now that she seemed calmer. For all she knew, Tsunade may have something in common with her. It could be interesting to find out.

* * *

_**Author's Note: So just a heads up for some of you, the rest of the story is going the same as it has been, informative but kinda slow when coming into the main relationship part. '^_^ I want to focus more on Sakura getting use to this era and the set up in the first couple chapters before jumping into the big stuff. Especially when forming Konoha comes into play. Trying to go with the most realistic possibility without going OOC to much. So yeah please review! :D**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Meanwhile...**_

* * *

The clash of swords and kunai filled the battlefield as the Uchiha and Senju fought. It was as Hashirama had thought, they took advantage of his retreat to create an ambush. It was the reason he left the Uzumaki so quickly, he had forgotten the predicament the clan had been in. Any enemy would use such a retreat to his advantage and it was expected of the Uchiha to do such a thing.

Tobirama had been furious for his brothers disappearance. Not long after he arrived back did they ambush the Senju. They had been battling for a few hours and even with the upper hand the Uchiha had, the Senju were still going strong. It was no time to waste and Hashirama knew that so in order to even things out he had to use some of his later jutsu, willing to make up a story to appease his brother later.

Needless to say Madara and been both shocked and angered when he revealed his tricks. Once things were evened out he took his attention to his former friend. Hashriama was determined to find a way to keep his trust, regardless of what Tobirama always told him. He loved his brother dearly but the whole reason things did not work out was because of his lack of trust. The main reason he sent Sakura to the past instead.

He was worried though, Mito was not to meet him yet and things started to fall apart. Keeping things together was much harder than he realized. Though seeing her again made him happier and more determined than he had been before hand. Finding a way to get her to like him was difficult, especially since it took her time to warm up to him when they were married the first time. The only real worry he had right now was how Sakura would fair with the Uzumaki... and if they would even assist them battle against the Uchiha in the future when that fateful day came.

Madara landed near him, swords ready in his hands. It took no time at all for Hashirama to turn to him, ready to fight. It would be some time before he would gain the Eternal Mangekyo and fight relentlessly. Hashirama started to wonder if he made the right choice with his plan to allow Izuna to die. He could change things with allowing him to live, all he needed was a few good pushes for things to head the right way. But as he looked over to Tobirama and Izuna fighting, he knew he made the right decision when speaking with Sakura.

"Hashirama!" Madara shouted, gaining his attention back.

"Madara," he replied. Without another word, both jumped at each other.

* * *

"Why!?" Tobirama shouted as they returned to the campsite.

"Tobirama, we needed to get out of there regardless. Too many people could have been killed," he replied, hands on his hips as he argued further.

"You mean the Uchiha," he retorted as he went into the house.

Hashirama face palmed, the way Tobirama turned on him after battle was amazing... in a bad way. He had no other excuse other than wanting to figure things out. As much as he hated to admit it, all the things he had to think about and worry over was causing too much stress on the battlefield to the point he could hardly battle Madara without needing help because of it.

"Stop doing that. It was also for our well being," he said as he began to take his armor off.

"Is that so. Then please explain the new techniques you have learned almost overnight," Tobirama said with a glare. Hashirama froze, trying to think of a good explanation.

"I did not learn them overnight. I have been training to use them on my own. You honestly think someone could suddenly learn such a technique without much practice?" he laughed, covering up his lame excuse.

"I'm not buying it. I know you better," he said before taking his armor off. "And where were you for over a day?"

"I may have ran into some allies. I have a plan. Trust me," Hashirama said casually.

"I am really starting to question your leadership," Tobirama mumbled as his brother looked around before heading back out. Something was not right, especially how stressed he was. He had never seen his brother so worried and confused; whatever has happened to him was a problem that they did not need. It was bad enough he always wanted to create a truce with the Uchiha.

Hashirama took the time to figure out a real excuse. He did not expect it to be so hard to not tell anyone his secret. Hell, it was still shocking to him. In the middle of battle he just gained all those memories without warning and knew he had to find the girl before something bad happened. He was the Hashirama from this time but with the future memories of another.

To think he created a jutsu with Tobirama to travel through time in case it would be needed. Of course when developing it they did not know the memories of the person would return to the original body instead of allowing a second body to exist. It was a good thing. He actually wondered if, due to the effectiveness and how it was thought out, his brother had actually did it on purpose without him realizing it.

He knew he had to write Sakura as soon as he could, but with allowing her time to adjust to her new home. Once he felt things were settled then they would probably discuss what to do. First he had to make sure he figure out where in the timeline they were sent. It was not too far back before Konoha but it was far enough back that they over shot the destination. He wondered just how effective this plan was going to be and if it would work at all.

* * *

Mito sighed as she made her way through the village to Tori Tower. She had gotten a message, as Hashirama told her she would, just a little while before they had arrived. After getting Sakura settled and some food, she decided it would be best to find out what exactly he wanted before someone realized it was a stray message and became nosy.

She walked up the stairs slowly, so she could looked over the village. It was small now, but she knew they would eventually grow. All the people they have saved along with the clan would be just the start. They had lost many within the last decade but because of those losses, Mito felt determined to help the clan with any new methods. That was one reason she was going to allow Sakura to even meet with the Clan Leader.

The strange girl had extraordinary skill that Mito had not seen from one ordinary person from a clan with no name. No one has been able to flawlessly rid themselves of any type of poison she had made. That and the fact that the Senju were on her side. It was still a little odd to her how things were happening, but in the end it did not matter. Of all things it was the medics the Uzumaki did not have and she would provide the skill to teach.

She did feel sorry for the girl, it was obvious just by the way she looked and how nervous she acted that this was new to her. Mito found no reason for the girl to lie nor did she find anything that would be considered a lie. Expect for the Seal, she had to find out where she learned of it. She had yet to see her full power and what she could do, so she had to find a time to challenge her in order to fully understand Sakura.

She made her way to the top, looking around for the bird with two scrolls. She quickly grabbed them before the bird flew over to a handler, released the seals and began to read it. The first one was a message to be sent to the Clan Leader about a truce, something she knew would cause a long discussion later. Whatever Hashirama had to say in the other scroll could only be about Sakura from her had kind feelings towards her from what she could sense but the pinkette always seemed to give him a nasty glare every so often. It made her question many things.

All his message would be about was him rambling about the same thing they talked about before, a truce and the pinkette. He did have good intentions, that was for certain. He was also charming in his own confusing way which made her a little uneasy. She did NOT want to admit that she may have had feelings for him, especially since they had met only a couple days ago. Although in the back of her mind she did regardless.

The first time they talked and he tried to convince her to allow the two to stay with the Uzumaki and what the girl could do for them, he would constantly look her in the eye with a look that made her blush. But the time they had talked before the departure was just ridiculous and made her furious. It was one thing for him to flirt with her they way he did throughout his short visit but he had the nerve to kiss her without warning.

She had been so shocked it took a moment for her to process it. After realization hit, she punched him right in the face and sent him flying out the door. It was her go-to response. Even after that he still found her before leaving to apologize, not for the kiss but for how sudden it was. Though she did find his nervousness and stumbling after such a situation amusing and kind of cute.

After reading further she rolled her eyes and grabbed writing material so she could respond immediately. Even through his message the man was flirting. With a sigh she sat down and began to write, updating him of Sakura's status thus far. Not sending a reply would probably be best since he was basically making small talk with it but she felt obligated to reply.

"The only time I had ever seen you so interested in anything, you brought a medic." She almost jumped when he spoke, trying to hide Hashirama's scroll as best she could without her grandfather noticing.

"Ojii-sama, I have a reason for what I do," she replied, continuing to write.

"Honestly from what you have told me Mito, the Senju are making some dangerous decisions and I cannot help but feel worried. You spoke highly of the leader in a way that can only worry me as your guardian," he said with his hands behind his back.

"Hashirama is a good man, I sense nothing but good intentions from him. The girl on the other hand is without family and we are to provide for those without such are we not?" she asked, glancing over at him.

"True," he sighed. "But it seems too convenient to me. Whatever he is planning cannot be good." His voice was stern and serious, with worry in his words.

"Ojii-sama are you not the one who said to always follow your Uzumaki instinct?" she question as she stood to face him.

"Hai," he said with a regretful look.

"Then let me follow my instinct. I have a good feeling about this, let me worry about the girl and you worry about the clan. And as for the Senju, try to think of the truce he has offered."

Mito grabbed the first scroll for him and allowed him to read. She could see him contemplating it with much thought as he read. Presentation and impressions was key to winning her grandfather over, so at least with the formality showed she knew he would start to reconsider. The only reason he had so much worry was because the former leader, Senju Butsuma, had been so driven to get rid of threats instead of trying to make peace with anyone. Especially the Uchiha. Hashirama may be the one to change his mind about them, hopefully.

After a minute of looking it over, he looked at her with a sigh. Her heart had never raced as much as it did when as she waited for his response. He rolled the scroll up and set it to the side, still lost in thought. He was considering it at least, that was a good sign.

"Mito-chan, it seems you will be in charge for some time. I will be setting up a time to head to the mainlands to meet with the Senju," he said before turning to leave.

"Hai," she replied in shock.

"Let him know," he called to her.

She waited until he was gone before grabbing the scroll and rereading it. She only glanced over it before, not giving it much thought since it was not for her. Obviously he had to impress her grandfather in order to make him go to the mainland. She quickly set it back before heading back to her message, addressing the current situation and giving him some warning.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Okay... Not the best chapter and I will admit this is kinda my own filler but I felt something like this needed to be in there before the next chapter. The fight scene was suppose to be some type of fight scene but I lost all imagination for it right now so yeah. I will eventually update and replace it with a real fight scene hopefully in the near future. Again thank you all for the reviews, favs and follows!**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Over two years later...**_

* * *

Sakura walked down the streets with her handmade clipboard, looking through a few pieces of paper for review after making a few house calls. She was on her way to the small building she made her home as well as her hospital. It was only a few months after she arrived that Mito was able to get her such a place. Since then she has been able to teach others in a comfortable environment while at the same time healing people right at home.

Things have gotten easier since she arrived and it was nice not dealing with battle. She did cry her eyes out for three nights straight, missing everyone she ever knew as she tried to get over the fact she would never see them again. And even after that for a few months she would wake up crying and screaming, so loudly that Mito would often rush to her guest room just to comfort her.

The nightmares surrounding Kaguya did not seem to go away, and everything that she had to deal with surrounding the war had a bigger effect on her than she had thought. After a while she realized she did not like going out at night, especially with a full moon. It was to the point that after she moved out into her little hospital, Mito stayed with her until she could sleep peacefully.

The woman was kind to her and after talking for a while, the two began to build a great friendship. Even becoming the best of friends. It also helped that Mito trained Sakura to use some new jutsu while Sakura would have her train to heal people at the hospital. Sakura found out why Hashirama had made her so furious. She didn't put it past him to act so stupidly. Of course as angry as Mito acted, Sakura spent enough time with her to know she had actually liked it. It also didn't help she blushed every time she talked about him.

She and Hashirama have communicated much within the last coupe years. He had told her it would be some time before they were to battle Madara, but that was two years ago. He was constantly apologizing for what he did and how long she had to wait in his scrolls, always making her laugh at the mental image she got of his stressing over it. He hadn't sent anything in the last two months or so. It made her worry a little bit, wondering just how long she had.

"Sakura-sensei!" Miyo called running down the road with a smile.

Miyo had been training with Sakura since she moved to the village, becoming her student and learning exactly the kind of things Sakura had learned. Well, she wasn't trained as harshly as Tsunade but it was pretty damn tough. She was even able to create a small crater in the ground with her fist now. Miyo had pretty good Chakra control and with the special Chakra she had to amplify her power, she was able to heal a badly injured patient within a few minutes... almost as well as Sakura. She was an amazing little girl.

At first the girl acted like Hinata, shy and timid but willing to learn. Somehow she did almost a three sixty and turned into Ino, without the bad gossip gabbing and constant throwing herself at boys. She had only grown slightly taller and wore an outfit that had shorts and a skirt, that was honestly almost an exact replica of Sakura's old one but purple instead of pink, and a yukata style top with purple dyed bandages to wrap around her waist and hold it in place. Still no shoes to be seen on her feet. She also wore her hair down with a red ribbon in her hair, just like Sakura.

It was flattering to Sakura how she looked up to her. She herself wore a short red kimono style top with no sleeves with black capris and high heel boots. She also had gloves tucked on the side of her pink sash that kept the top closed. She had only grown a few centimeters, her boobs actually grew two sizes, something she was overjoyed about, and her hair was now close to reaching her waist.

Sakura was now twenty, only a year different from Uzashi. She had never really thought of it until Miyo's little get together for a birthday celebration. The girl asked her when her's had been and in honesty Sakura had almost forgotten. She had already been seventeen when she got there. At this point the time difference didn't matter, she just added the years she had been there to her age and continued using her original birthday to make things easier.

"Uzashi-kun says you have a new message at Tori Tower," she reported with a smile.

"Arigato. I'll make sure to check it before the day ends but I have to get back to the hospital," she said lifting a piece of paper to check another.

"Anything new?" she asked, skipping her way next to Sakura.

"Not at the moment, but I might have you take care of anyone who needs healing or treatment when the group arrives back from the Land of Fire," she told her turning the corner. "Have you seen Mito-sama?"

"Iie. I had seen her with the Clan Leader this morning. That was the last time today," she replied.

"That figures," she mumbled.

Miyo skipped ahead, twirling every so often, to the hospital. Luckily it was not far from where they were. It was actaully close to Mito and Honshi. Sakura followed, entering as quickly as she could when they arrived. She set her chart down on a side table before taking her sandals off.

As you walked in, there was a desk with a receptionist at time. It was usually Miyo but every once and a while she would have the others switch it up. To the right was a small waiting room and turning left as you walked in was the examination room. Sakura's room was to the left of the front, as was a door that led to a separate part as an operating room.

Miyo slid the door shut before following her in. It was almost as if she was living there half the time; Sakura didn't mind it though. She didn't make it far in the living area before allowing herself to fall to her knees and then into the pile of blankets she laid out for time like these.

"You're tired," Miyo giggled.

"Well unlike someone I know, I have been on my feet the whole day. And I only had three hours of sleep last night," Sakura replied before laying face down, groaning into the pillow.

"I have been on my feet all day too you know. And they probably hurt worse," Miyo complained, sitting at the table properly.

"One, you don't wear any kind of footwear and two, you always heal your feet because of said problem so don't even try it." Her voice was muffled but she was heard. Miyo only shrugged, laying back.

"I heard something big is going to happen soon. Something massive... Do you know what it is?" Miyo asked looking over to Sakura as best she could.

Sakura lifted herself up to look at Miyo who had a curious look. It was creepy and nerve wracking when she said things that could have a double meaning. Every time Sakura thought of her mission or anything concerning her life because of it, Miyo seemed to have a question that she could never answer. It was almost as if she knew about her situation.

"Who did you hear it from?" The usual question.

"Just someone I know." The usual answer. "I am only curious. I mean your message is labeled urgent," Miyo said putting her hands behind her head.

"What!?" Sakura jumped up as fast as she could and grabbed her sandals. "Miyo, you know you have to tell me if it is urgent right away!" she shouted as she had trouble putting her sandals on.

"Oops," Miyo said getting up to follow Sakura out the door.

"Iie. You go meet with the group returning from the Land of Fire," Sakura called back as she ran off to the tall tower.

* * *

There was only a few bird handlers there, fixing up the bird cages and such. Sakura looked around until she saw the bird that had her scroll. She grabbed thee scroll from it before it flew over to one of the handlers. She immediately released the seal and opened it to read what Hashirama had said. It wasn't marked urgent like Miyo said but then again Miyo always knew better than anyone.

After looking it over she started to bite at her nail. So it was finally time for her to head back to the mainland. The battle that changed Madara had just happened, which meant Izuna would be giving his Sharingan to his brother before he died sometime soon. She knew that Hashirama wanted the help from the Uzumaki to avoid so much loss on the Senju side but was not sure how she would ask.

Sure she had their utmost trust but this was almost asking too much. She would be too nervous to ask the Clan Leader anything, it was a bit intimidating being around him at time. There was a reason Mito acted the way she did when they first met. He taught her how to lead and it ran in the family. She rolled the scroll up and placed her hands on the rail, looking out over Uzushio.

"Uzumaki Sakura." She almost jumped when hearing his voice. Sakura turned to see the Clan Leader and Mito standing there, Uzashi running up the stairs to catch up.

"I did not expect to see you here," she said bowing, feeling stupid for her non formal outfit. Half the time she hated how everyone dressed so differently from her but she couldn't dress the same without feeling uncomfortable and trapped.

"I suppose that message is from the Senju?" he questioned, shocking her.

"H-hai. They have asked for our assistance in battle against the Uchiha," she spoke.

"I am well aware. Mito-chan has already informed me," he nodded.

"How?" she asked with knitted brows.

"I received a message along with your own. I had read mine this morning when it arrived," she said holding up a scroll. She could see Mito giving a sly smile, mocking her. Oh the urgent to retort and bicker with her.

"I have given it much thought throughout the day and had a unit set to leave in a few hours," he told her crossing his arms. "Uzashi and Mito will lead, you will be the medic. I have gather Team Wada to assist as well. I would send more but we are only assisting, I cannot risk my peoples lives."

"Understood," she nodded. She worried that Team Wada may not be enough. They were really the only ones with a large amount of jutsu that did not concern sealing but most of their attacks needed combinations. All it would take is for the Uchiha to figure that out for the four to be at risk. This was not what she expected.

* * *

Sakura looked out over the water, tapping her fingers on the side of the boat. As soon as she had gotten her armor on and made her way to the shore, they headed out early. She was ready as she could be for this. Even though she had only learned a few jutsu from Mito over the last couple years but it wasn't her thing. Instead she was able to amplify her medic jutsu even more and with training them medics in Uzushio she had been able to create a few more new techniques.

Every second they grew close to the Land of Fire, the more worrisome she became. What if she was not strong enough to do anything, to help anyone. She had always been the weak one in Team Seven and in the end she still had been. From what she could tell, Shinobi in the past were much more powerful than in the future. And if she had to go up against the Uchiha, there was no telling if she could fight them.

"Sakura-chan, you are putting a hole in the rail," Mito said startling her.

"Oh," she said, seeing the hole she made from tapping her finger.

"Is something wrong?" she asked with worry.

"I just... I am a bit anxious that's all," she said with both arms on the side.

"No need to worry," Mito commented, repeating the motion. "Sakura-chan, since I have found out we would be returning to the Land of Fire something has been bothering me. I know the answer but maybe there is something you can tell me about your Seal."

"Why ask now?" she questioned.

"I have noticed in some of our... intense battles, you used another technique. The only thing I am able to do is build my Chakra and use the reserve when necessary. You are able to enhance your power with it," Mito stated, glancing over to her.

"I want to tell you, but I am just not able to," she replied with a sigh.

After a minute of silence the two heard a shriek behind them. As they turned, Uzashi stood there with a troubled look while holding Miyo by the hair. She had the Uzumaki battle armor on as the rest, with a sword strapped to her back. She was angry at first with Uzashi pulling her hair but paled and was now scared when the two women looked down at her.

"I'm in trouble..."

"You have no idea," Mito said crossing her arms.

* * *

**_Author's Note: Alright so this is pretty much the last warm up chapter before the real stuff begins. I will be trying to get things update as quickly as possible, since things are going to get pretty exciting._**


	7. Chapter 6

When they arrived in the Land of Fire, it was only hours before Sakura had received a message from Hashirama. They needed the Uzumaki soon because the Uchiha were already starting a battle. The last messages were sent out later than it should have been. This was going to be sooner than expected, so they needed to get to the battlefield quickly.

They had no time to punish Miyo, instead having her put in the plan since it was short notice and needed to be done. She could not be sent back now and the Senju were all busy fighting to take care of the stowaway. It had taken a few hours to get deeper into the land for Mito to even be able to sense the Senju but they were finally getting close. All the waiting had Sakura on edge, she had no idea what to expect when they got there.

They were going straight into battle from here while she and Miyo were to help what medics the Senju did have. Luckily one of Team Wada's members, Yono, was her student for a short time and had some healing capabilities. There was no telling how many medics the world even had at this point since most Shinobi were raised to fight and kill instead of heal.

"We are getting close to the battlefield. Be very careful and mind your surrounding!" Mito ordered as they leaped through the trees.

"Hai!" they all replied together.

Mito landed first, blocking a few kunai from hitting an injured Senju. Sakura landed next to him and had him lean against the tree, immediately starting to heal his wounds. He was in too much pain to object. Miyo landed next to Sakura unsure of what to do as the rest ran off to battle. Mito rushed after the Uchiha duo ahead, ready to fight.

"Who are you?" the man asked with a hoarse voice.

"I am Uzumaki Sakura. We have been sent to assist the Senju in battle," she said while moving her hand from around his lungs and to his neck.

"But why?" he said, starting to breath a bit easier.

"We were asked to..." she started, signalling Miyo to help. "By your Clan Leader, Senju Hashirama."

After she said that the man was no longer tense. The girl put her hands over Sakura's to amplify her Chakra and increase the healing speed. Not even a minute later she was able to get most of his wounds healed so he was able to stand. As soon as he stood, Sakura grabbed his sword from the ground and blocked an attack from an Uchiha. She pushed towards him with some strength to get him to back up and stumble off balance and took the chance to punch him in the chest, sending him flying across the forest.

"How..?" She turned to see the man staring at her with shock.

"Miyo, where are the injured?" Sakura asked.

"Everywhere," she said with her eyes closed. "Wait, most of the injured are about two miles ahead with some major Chakra coming from that way!"

"Are you sure those are not Uchiha?" the man asked while taking the sword Sakura handed back to him.

"I cannot tell but that is where most of the injured are so regardless half could be Senju," Miyo replied looking at him.

"Doesn't matter right now, we have to go anyway. Miyo you can sense the injured so find all the stragglers and help them."

Miyo nodded and ran off while Sakura went ahead, the Senju following. If there were many up ahead then that would be the battlefield. Miyo could handle herself now and it was the best way to get her to stay away. Sakura was a medic and she could fight while healing others so she could survive in the middle of it all. Things were going to be different now, she would be the strong one to protect everyone and make sure people came out alive.

Just as they got close enough, a Senju jumped down and push the two out of the way of a lava attack. Sakura looked up in shock but shook her head to snap out of it. Since when did the Uchiha use lava style? The older Uchiah revealed himself as he started making hand signs. Jbefore the man could attack, he moved out of the way of a surprise attack from behind. Sakura jumped up to the tree and leaped over the falling Senju and punch the Uchiha straight to the ground, creating a huge crater. As they landed, all the men looked at Sakura with a mixture of amazement and fear.

"How many injured?" the previous Senju asked the others for her.

"Most of our own but they are still battling."

Sakura was already sprinting towards the sounds of swords clashing. The first thing she did was brace herself and grab a sword that headed for an injured woman. The three men behind her went forward to attack the Uchiha. As soon as Sakura could, she turn to the woman and started to heal her wounds. One of the men stayed behind to protect them while the other two chased the man down.

"What is going on?" the brunette asked in confusion.

"The Uzumaki have come to back us up. It seems Hashirama-sama was right in his decision of an alliance," he said looking down with guilt.

"We may have had trouble getting here on time but I can still heal many of the wounded. I need you both to cover me while I heal as many as I can," she ordered, helping the woman up. Both nodded in responsive without question and made there way across the battlefield to help their allies.

* * *

**_Few Hours Later_**

* * *

Miyo placed her hand on a younger Senju girl's wound. Instantly the severe wound began to heal quick as Yono from Team Wada stayed close to protect her. He was the other medic but couldn't do much to anything more than deep gashes. Miyo made sure the girl had no internal injures before helping her stand.

"Your Chakra is getting low. You need to get out of here," Miyo told her.

"I am staying to fight," she retorted, looking down at Miyo.

"Medic's orders. You need to retreat," she said gritting her teeth. She may have gained some of her Sensei's temper while training.

"Do as she says," a man said sternly, landing near them.

"Hai... Tobirama-sama," she turned and ran off away from the battlefield with a few clan members by her side. Miyo could tell they were all running low on Chakra and needed to stick together at this point.

"What took you all so long to get here?" Tobirama asked Yono. He turned to him but continued to look around.

"Our lead Medic told us the messages received were sent out too late and took too long to get to us."

"Aniue..." he mumbled irritated.

"Split up," Miyo shouted as many fireball's came crashing down towards them.

The three split off as quickly as possible to avoid getting hit. Miyo saw Yono take the chance to escape completely, leaving the other two to deal with the four Uchiha who came through the flames. She immediately slammed her fist to the ground to shake things up so the one who landed close to her would stumble. Unfortunately he regained himself and shot a fireball at her.

"Suiton: Suijinheki." Tobirama used his jutsu to create a wall of water to block the attack on time. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu." Within seconds water formed into a dragon and hit them enemies.

He then ran off ahead, deeper into the battlefield. Miyo could sense most of those in the area who were previously injured were now on the move and in battle so she followed him. She could only guess her Sensei had been able to heal those who were now fighting again. She knew her Sensei was a great healer but the rate everyone seemed to be getting back to the fight was incredible.

Tobirama drew his sword and went after the two younger men in front of him. They fought back, barely able to keep up, even with their Sharingan activated. Miyo jumped from the trees and landed behind Tobirama in time to redirect the kunai with explosive tags. He threw his sword at one of the Uchiha, hitting him straight through their armor and chest. He grabbed it and shoved him off before slashing at the other, soon repeating his previous actions.

Miyo jumped out at the older woman who readier both her swords. At the last second she dodged to the side and landed while swiping her foot, attempted to trip her. She jumped back slightly before slashing at Miyo. She moved enough to dodge the first sword, maneuvered her foot to slid and dodge the second and quickly placing both hands on the ground. The woman looked shocked, unable to move.

She looked down with a struggle to see a white circle around the two of them with symbols all around it. Through the light, she could see vines coming out of it, clamping her legs and already climbed upwards on her body. Miyo smirked, seeing the vines wrapped around her entire body beneath the Uchiha woman's clothing. It started to show by her hands, wrapping around her fingers and then her neck. Miyo looked away as she was slowly strangled and could no longer breathe. She released the jutsu seal, the Uchiha falling lifeless. She never realized how deadly it could be but this was war after all and she had no choice. Though no one said she had to like it.

"Futon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" She immediately grabbed a sword and jumped back, looking over to face two more Uchiha, both already injured. The first one repeated the jutsu as the other one rushed off in seconds.

Miyo did a back flip before jumping into the trees to avoid the flames. The other Uchiha's Chakra suddenly appear behind her, about to strike. Yono jumped from a tree and kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Miyo jumped through the trees to avoid kunai the other one threw at her. She suddenly felt very uneasy, sensing more people coming there way. The second she lost concentration, an Uchiha lunged from above to attack. Yono grabbed onto her, the last strap to his chest armor, in order to get her out of the way.

"Where is the rest of your team?" Miyo asked as she saw the three Uchiha regrouping.

"Wada and I are the only ones alive," he said trying to catch his breath.

"What!?" Miyo shouted in shock, fear setting in fast.

"Wada is with Mito-sama as far as I know. We have to get to them," he said grabbing her arm and leading her away.

This was beyond terrible. If Wada and Mito were together then they stood a chance but Miyo didn't know any combination attacks thus she could not help Yono do anything. She didn't understand why a team that needed more than one person for jutsu was sent out to the battlefront. It made no sense and the fact the other two were already gone proved that.

"Katon: Bakufu Ranbu." One of the previous Uchiha blew out a spiraling flame aimed directly at them.

Both Uzumaki dodged to the sides and threw kunai at him. He jumped into the trees with a smirk, continuing his retreat. Miyo turned in a panic and froze upon seeing Yono stabbed through the chest with two tanto, facing the enemy as he protected her from the attack. He held on to the collars of the two Uchiha as tightly as he could even with them sticking the two swords through his chest to the hilt.

"Mi-Miyo... run..." he said making a hand sign with each hand still slightly grabbing on the two.

She nodded and ran past them, leaping into the trees to try to find her way to Mito. How was it possible that they got to her without her sensing them? She held back her tears for later, trying to pick up speed. A minute later a huge explosion was her and the shock waves spread quickly, knocking everyone within a few miles off balance. She almost slipped and fell but was grabbed in time, held until the blast subsided.

"We need to lead these stray Uchiha to the battlefield before they cut down anyone else,"Tobirama said, looking back towards the blast as he let her go. "Let's go," he said before sprinting off. Miyo only nodded to herself, chasing after him.

* * *

"Now!" Sakura shouted to the group she just healed, having them retreat until she was finished.

Sakura stood her ground as they ran off. There were at least five enemies just ahead, according to Uzashi. He had already gotten many of the injured away, some with reluctance. Sakura was a medic and could not bring herself to harm the children who were in battle, even if they were Uchiha. She was a bit surprised when some of the Senju said nothing about it and let her do what she needed.

Luckily most of the jutsu she encountered had been familiar either from experience and research from her own time or from training with Mito. Until now she was able to counter her enemies and impress many on both sides of the front. So as soon as she saw the fire headed her way she jumped up into the trees, using extra Chakra to leap up higher. Typical Uchiha moves. Once she was in the air and they were in view, she made hand signs.

"Futon: Kaze no Uzu!" She sucked in and blew out a vortex of wind that went straight through the trees and broke them down.

Now that they were out in the open she gathered Chakra into her fist and slammed it into the ground as she landed. She rushed at the group with the Senju coming from behind, ready to fight. She came face to face with the lead Medic for the Uchiha. The woman was deadly being able to break joints and confuse the nervous system with a few single touches. No real information had been give about there medic except she was able to fight when necessary.

She grabbed a kunai to block the scalpel as the woman slashed at her. She did her best to avoid any physical hit as well, which wasn't to hard. The Uchiha tried her best to grab onto Sakura constantly which gave a few openings. Something was not right, no Uchiha would give an easy opening like she did with the kind of skill she had. Her only conclusion was that she wanted her to take an opening so she could get her own hit on her. Sakura was able to analyze her movements instead and find a way to get away from her constant attacking without getting hit and not going for a hit of her own.

She moved to the side and struck past her check, causing a small cut with just her hand. The Uchiha gasped in shock, jumping away and getting in a fighting stance. In her training Sakura had practiced techniques she had heard of or was told about and found a way to use them. The Chakra Scalpel technique that Kabuto had used was a prime example. It took some time but it made her feel good inside knowing she had this woman uneasy.

They both rushed at each other, attacking with hand to hand combat. The woman had a scalpel in one hand and a kunai in the other, using them to block her attack as best as she could. Sakura had been able to get a few cuts on her hands but not without a few scraps of her own here and there. She ducked down to avoid a hit and shifted her leg. The Uchiha jumped away to the clearing by the water, to get away.

In that moment Sakura leaped forward with a few hand signs as she gathered Chakra. She slammed her fist into the ground causing an upheaval. The woman smirked as she jumped atop one of the boulders, swiftly making her way to her. Suddenly a force of wind came right after the smash making everyone in the area come to a halt, some of them barely staying on the ground.

The Uchiha was blow back with trouble keeping her body stead to the ground. When the wind stopped she coughed from the dirt, uncovering her face to looked for Sakura. She wasn't ahead of her like she had been before. She looked around to try to find her, unfortunately by the time she got a glimpse of pink Sakura already had her fist ready. She punched the woman hard and sent her flying down the river, creating a huge splash and she fell in.

Sakura ran off to finish what she started. There was no way that had killed her but it would be enough to keep her focus on the pain more than attacking. If there was one thing she had learned from training, it was her punches were powerful enough to cause so much intense pain that one could not function properly if they continued to fight. And this woman may be a medic but it would be difficult to heal herself and fight at the same time.

She stopped when Mito jumped in front of her. Her right sleeve had been torn off she she was panting slightly, facing back to the forest area. Sakura quickly grabbed her bloody arm and started to heal her. She looked over where Mito was as she started to relax. The enemies she had dealt with fell to the ground after Tobirama attacked. Miyo ran straight to the two, hugging Sakura tightly.

"Yono's dead," she sobbed. Sakura let out a small sigh, placing an arm around her.

"So he and Wada both used that jutsu then," Mito mumbled.

"Where is Uzashi?" Miyo said looking up with worry.

"He is back with the Senju fighting. Don't worry he isn't going to die easily," Sakura reassured her.

"There is a much bigger problem at hand," Tobirama interrupted, looking further down the river.

"Uchiha Madara," Mito said looking in the same direction.

"Miyo, I need you to head back to Uzashi. There aren't many injured anymore but there are still a few who need help," Sakura instructed.

"Hai," she said without argument, running off to Uzashi.

"Mito-sama, how many do you sense around us?" she asked, wondering how far down the Uchiha had went.

Mito was going to answer but suddenly jumped back, still getting grabbed at the ankle and being dragged under the water. Without a second thought Sakura let her Chakra go so she could go under water. She saw the two figures go under quick, being taken by the strong river current. She dove down, grabbing Mito and using her to go further so she could kick the woman. She let go of Mito but grabbed onto Sakura instead.

She used the Chakra Scalpels to cut at her but pain started to set into her body. Her ankle broke with a single twist of the Uchiha's hand, and she was starting to get slow. This was what she had been trying to do in the beginning, get a hold onto the lead medic and disable her abilities. One thing she had not developed with her skills was holding her breath for a long time, thus Sakura started to struggle for air.

Before they knew it the current slowed and they were moved harshly to the side. Both rolled onto the ground as the water subsided, Mito at Sakura's side as fast she she was able to. She didn't understand what the hell had just happened but she was thankful it did. She tried to heal her ankle but her nervous system had been damaged and she could barely move the right away let alone channel Chakra.

After a minute she could move again but only a bit. Mito was at her ankle twisting it little by little and placing a hand over it to heal. It was a damn good thing she had been watching and earning from Sakura in her spare time. The Uzumaki then began to give her Chakra to Sakura, slowly trying to fix the nervous system. Sakura looked up to see Tobirama running to them. He was known for his water jutsu so her only guess was he had gotten them out of the water.

"Sakura-chan, are you able to move now?" Mito asked.

"Yeah. I should have had you find her before getting distracted by Miyo," she groaned.

"At least she has been dealt with," she replied, both looking over to the Uchiha. Tobirama had taken the chance to finish her off as soon as they landed on ground.

"We need to get to Hashirama," Sakura said standing.

"You go. I need to help out here. I am in no condition to protect myself if something went wrong. Besides there are a few injured up the river no thanks to Madara himself," Mito replied, standing.

"See you soon," Sakura nodded, running off with Tobirama.

This was a draining battle and even with her helping many lives were still lost. She could only imagine how many were killed the last time this happened. Not to mention all of Team Wada had been taken out with no effort almost. When she saw Honshi again, there would be some words, if she didn't use her fists first, and she was not going to hold back. He sent out a team without thinking it through and cost them their lives.

"Not too many medics can fight that well, especially against Ki. I can tell you are not an Uzumaki by birth but you do have extraordinary power. I now see why Hashirama had been persistent on having you all aid us," Tobirama admitted, glancing at her.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" she asked, jumping into the trees to speed things up.

"Would you rather me insult you and nag about what mistakes you made?" he replied with a tone.

"If any mistakes were made it was because I was in the middle of a fight and had no time to fix them," she gritted her teeth, her eyebrow twitching. "Besides i think of it as improvising."

"Your temper can pose a problem in battle. You need to find a way to analyze things before rushing in, otherwise you end up sloppy," he knit picked.

She growled, jumping down and went back towards the water. She wanted to chew him out but instead needed to focus on her task at hand. Right now she needed to heal some of the injured who had a chance to live. Luckily not many severely wounded. She got them to their feet and away as fast as she could. It only took a moment before she froze, looking out to see Hashirama land near her and Madara land on the other side.

"You all made it in time," Hashirama said with relief, looking back at her. They both were panting, running low on Chakra and exhausted. The battle was long, neither side wanting to give up.

"Watch out," she rushed and grabbed him out of the way of a few fireballs.

She then had to jump to the side to avoid Madara as he slashed at her. She moved just in time to evade the attack. Only a few strands of hair were cut but Sakura instantly went wide eyed when she saw her ribbon was cut and fell into the water. Something inside her snapped, especially with the aggravation Tobirama had caused, making her even more pissed off.

She glanced at Madara and in that split second all the emotion she went through had built back up. All the friends she lost, the end of her world and being sent here without warning. The last part was Hashirama's fault but she could use that still standing rage against Madara. As soon as he went to maneuver and attack her, she grabbed a hold of his sword, repeating what she had done to Hashirama when she first met him by punching the man straight in the face.

Madara went flying right through the trees and causing damage as he crashed. She was furious and now this battle was on.

* * *

**Author's Note: It took FOREVER to write this. I suck at battle scenes so this was a challenge for me. I am still proud for what I have been able to accomplish with this regardless. Not to mention this is like TWO chapters in one. Instead of a few chapters spread out I amusing this as a starter so the next is the bigger part for battle. Thank you all for reading and the reviews, favorites and follows.**

**Also, for those who may question it... Aniue is the Japanese word Tobirama uses to address Hashirama (As I noticed when watching the recent episode) meaning brother. So I decided to use it.**


	8. Chapter 7

This woman had just punched Uchiha Madara. This woman had sent him flying across the river and through the forest without hesitation or fear. Hashirama could not believe what he had just witnessed first hand. At first he was shocked, then it made him want to laugh at the scene. It was the same exact thing way she had greeted him, which was beyond amusing. Once he thought twice about the pain, it made him feel bad for Madara.

Sakura was too irritated to realize what she had done at first. As soon as realization hit she smirked, feeling really good inside. She still had Chakra to fight and even though she knew in the end Hashirama obviously won against him, she wanted to take this chance to beat the crap out of the man who caused hell in her time.

Madara lifted himself up, pushing the branches off as he did. What the had just happened? It took him a moment to gather himself before looking in the distance towards the two on the water. Hashirama stood there, seemingly lost in thought as his facial expressions changed. He then moved his gaze over to the woman with pink hair.

He growled in annoyance, standing and trying to ignore the pain. He had to admit he never thought anyone could get the better of him so quickly in a fight other than Hashirama. She on the other hand proved him wrong, it was a bit refreshing. Madara readied himself, cringing at the pain from his broken nose, and rushed at her.

Sakura aimed a punch at him, missing when he dodged to the side. He smirked and gripped a kunai, stabbing her in the chest just above the armor. She grabbed onto his arm and kicked him in the abdomen as hard as she could, causing him to spit out blood. She then threw him to the side before pulling out the kunai, already healing herself. He regained himself and wiped the blood away. She took the chance to throw the kunai and follow to attack.

She suddenly stopped when everything froze, slowly but surely blurring. The area started to burn and the water disappeared, causing her to start to fall. Then everything started to turn black and she could hear screams coming from where the forest should have been. Sakura panicked at first but only because it had been so long since anyone pulled these tricks against her. She closed her eyes and released the genjutsu, only not in time.

Hashirama grabbed her right when Madara attacked with his sword, cutting above her chest and releasing the chest armor. She could tell her was trying to create an opening for later, it was too plainly obvious not that she could analyze things quicker. If not for Mito she would not have enhanced that kind of skill.

He was analyzing his situation, that was certain. She could see him trying to figure something out, since he was probably low on Chakra. The two sides had been battling for a long time before the Uzumaki arrived so the battle had to be close to its end by now. Meaning he couldn't pull too many of his Sharingan tricks which was why he relied on the genjutsu.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu." Madara used his jutsu and aimed for the two before they could fully recover themselves.

"Mokuton: Mokujōheki." Hashirama created a wall to block the small fireballs from hitting them.

Sakura looked around to see him starting to let his guard down as his Chakra depleted. She got an idea, immediately whispering to Hashirama so they could finish things off quicker. They both went around, throwing the last bit of kunai and shuriken available to attack. A very pissed of Madara jumped up to avoid the attack and aimed for the two.

Sakura dodged, rounding a kick to him but missing. Hashirama came from behind to attack but Madara avoided just in time, causing him to stumble as he landed. Madara then went after Sakura, slashing with as swiftly as he could. She was able to maneuvered her body to avoid the but had followed a pattern and was struck through the heart when he changed it up. He backed up and made hand signs, along with Hashirama who tried to make his way to them both.

"Katon: Gōka Messhitsu." Madara blew intense fire at them both, forcing Hashirama to abandon his jutsu for the moment.

"Sakura!" Hashirama shouted in panic.

Madara smirked with satisfaction, ready to get back to his fight with his original opponent. Just as he was ready a hand grabbed his foot and pulled him under. He wasn't under for long before she did he favorite attack with a smile, punching the Uchiha out of the water. He flew across the river and into the forest once again. She came up for air and started to cough, getting out of the water herself.

"Took them long enough," she mumbled to herself.

Just before they went after Madara from behind the wood wall, she had Hashirama create a wood clone to fight so she could go under the water for an attack. It almost didn't work as she could barely hold her breath. Once she saw the wood clone start to burn she took the chance to go for it. She could see Hashirama had began to reach his limits and he had a hard time staying on the water, thus making his way to the land.

She stood to go after him but she couldn't see Madara anywhere. He must have taken the opportunity to get out of there the moment she let her guard down. She looked around, trying to find where he could have possibly hid. There was no way he had already gotten too far away with how low his Chakra was getting and she knew he had to be in pain from the last attack.

"Not this time," he said from behind her, is sword piercing through her chest.

She looked down to see he had hit a vital point, causing more blood to pour out than usual. Healing oneself while battling is difficult as is and in her predicament, for any other person, was beyond horrific. But she was no ordinary medic and was about to lay her mark to show she was not the one to mess with. Sure it was taking advantage due to his weakened state but she was about to use her ace in the hole. Probably didn't need to but she knew things had to finish before anyone else ended up dying on the battlefield.

"Not this time for sure," Sakura whispered to herself as she smirked. The seal on her forehead parted upward to her hairline and downward over her cheeks on each side as her strength increased.

She grabbed the blade and slashed at it with an enhanced Chakra Scalpel near her chest, slid off and grabbed Madara by the collar. Her body was already healing the wound as she got ready to finish things. The look of pure shock, confusion and the hint of fear was extremely satisfying to her. She kneed him in the chest, lifted him up and slammed him into the ground. The impact causing the area to crumbled and crack even more than it had from the previous battle he and Hashirama had hours ago.

"You didn't... kill him... did you?" Hashirama questioned with the same look his 'friend' had just a moment ago.

"Maybe," she huffed.

Hashirama made his way to Madara's side while Sakura backed away. She heard Tobirama yelling as the Senju had retreating from battle to go to Hashirama's side. It seemed as if the Uchiha did the same, both sides worried for their leaders. Miyo was following Uzashi and Tobirama, obviously annoying the latter. She chuckled to herself as karma took effect on him.

* * *

She healed a few people as they watched the conversation between the clan leaders. Right now they could easily kill Madara and be done with it, but because of Hashirama's kind heart he was already coming up with a way to make amends. She shifted her glance to see Tobirama had already tried to kill him but his brother wouldn't allow it.

She wasn't sure how to feel now. She had gotten most of her rage out in battle but seeing him still alive hurt. Instead she focused on healing the rest of Uzashi's injuries and looked around for anymore with wounds. After making sure everyone else was fine she made her way closer to the front to see what was going on. Mito was already close enough to see and hear what was going on. Sakura could tell right away she was uneasy and worried.

"To kill your own sibling or commit suicide?" One Senju shouted in anger.

"What the hell are you thinking, you...!" Silence came as soon as Hashirama raised his hand.

"That man is crazy! What do you plan to do?" Tobirama ranted. "Are you going to kill me? Or do you want to die to follow this man's nonsense? It's foolish, don't listen to him..."

Sakura was too shocked for words. She wanted to say or do something but Hashirama glanced at her as if knowing what she was thinking. She stayed put and bite her lip, letting things play out. This was not how she had expected this to go and silently cursed him for not filling her in with details about what was to happen.

"Thank you, Madara. Indeed you're a sympathetic person." Sakura watched in shock as he actually took off his armor with a kunai in hand. "Listen to me Tobirama, these will be my last words. I'll give you these words in exchange for my life. All of you should listen. After my death, do not kill Madara." He gave a quick, somewhat amused, glance at Sakura; immediately making her irate for imply she had almost done so earlier.

"Mito-sama..." she whispered, glancing at the woman who was holding back tears. She could feel the grief coming from the woman as she watched in horror. "You really love him don't you?" Mito looked at her, swallowing hard as she nodded, unable to form words.

"Uchiha and Senju must not fight each other ever again. This also goes for our Uzumaki allies as well. Vow on your parents and grandchildren who are not yet born. Farewell," he smiled.

Her heart beat faster and faster, unsure what to do. Was he really going to kill himself? Or was it part of the plan? He never told her anything and she did not know what she should do, if anything at all. She held Mito's hand, not clenching quite as hard as the Uzumaki. They were both a little stunned when Madara jumped up enough to grab the kunai before Hashirama harmed himself.

"It's enough. I have seen your guts," he said before letting go from the pain.

Sakura noticed Mito's grip lightened as she let out a sigh of relief. She held on to Mito and took a sidestep closer to comfort her. Everyone was relieved to see what had happened, on both side of the battlefield. As things calmed, everyone started to part ways leaving a few behind for Miyo to heal. Sakura could see the girl was worn and probably never wanted to leave Uzushio once she returned. In a way it made Sakura feel a bit thankful for that very fact.

* * *

Madara gripped his chest in pain. It took every ounce of energy he had to speak without screaming out in pain. How was it possible for someone to have that much built up Chakra? Especially to be able to keep up with Hashirama and himself. Even when he was low on Chakra it was difficult for others to be able to keep up yet that woman could.

He looked up at her briefly, watching as she calmed the watery eyed Uzumaki. Even now she was doing just fine unlike everyone else. Just by looking at most of those around it was easy to tell they were in battle and harmed but she was perfectly fine. Even with her advanced skill he could tell she was not an Uzumaki. Her medical abilities were something he had seen from Hashirama while her strength was something he had never seen before. It was a bit intriguing to say the least.

He gripped onto his side and leaned over to try to relieve some of the pain. Hashirama bent down next to him to help him sit up. He glanced up to see Tobirama scoff and turn his head. Even with accepting the alliance, Madara felt it would take a long time before he or Tobirama could get along in any way.

"Your injuries are severe," Hashirama commented.

"Obviously," he retorted.

"You're going to need much healing..." He then mumbled something that Madara wasn't able to hear. "Don't worry, you'll be fine in our medics hands," he smiled.

* * *

She let go of Mito's hand and put her hands to her hips, watching Hashirama speak with Madara on the ground as Tobirama began to retreat with everyone else. He looked over at the two women as he past, with a scowl. Mito made a 'hmph' noise in return.

Hashirama waved and signaled for her to come over. She was reluctant at first but walked over there while feeling uneasy from Madara's gaze. He was still on the ground and barely keeping himself up enough to speak. He looked like he was in pain and continued to grab his chest. She must have hit harder than she thought.

"Sakura-chan," he greeted with a smile.

"I hate you," she whispered only loud enough for him to hear as she passed. "What do you want?" He made a whimper like noise before turning back to Madara.

"Well... since you are the only medic here you should probably heal him," he mentioned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Fix what I broke, gotcha." She smirked when Madara went from calm and collected to irritated and growling within a second.

She bent down and immediately started to heal at his chest, figuring it to be the best place to start. After doing a quick examination through her Chakra, she could now understand why he was in so much pain. She was right, more damage was done than she realized. How he was alive was a very good question to ask. Luckily with her Chakra returned, she could begin to heal the life threatening internal injuries first.

"You should probably speak with Mito-sama. She has been worries you know," Sakura said glancing at Hashirama.

"That's right," he said in realization before waving as he ran off to see the red head.

She was able to speed things up and begin to move to his shoulder. Some of the damage done by Hashirama was just as severe. She could see he was struggling with the pain and grunt here and there. Every time her hand moved a certain way or touched him, he would try to move away. She really didn't want to use her last pain reliever for this but she had no other choice. She pulled it out from her bag and quickly injected it into his arm.

"What the hell was that?" he practically shouted.

"It is going to relieve the pain," she shot back.

Madara didn't reply and only continued to let her heal him. It was still a problem when it came to talking but it was a bit more manageable. Her Chakra control was incredible, striking curiosity. What would the battle have been like had they been at full strength? He looked at her with interest, noticing she had been lost in thought. Without thinking, he used his free hand to move her bangs from her face and tugged them behind her ear, as it seemed to pose a bit of a problem to her.

"Arigato," she said with a little shock, and a slight blush. He nodded in response.

"Your skills are impressive. I had never seen such fierce battling from a woman before."

"Is that a compliment?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd say so," he replied with a side glance. "What is your name kunoichi?"

"Uzumaki Sakura." She repositioned herself and began to go over his back to make sure no more injures had been made from the last smash.

"Sakura, eh? It suits you," he mumbled looking back towards her.

It was a bit awkward for her, sitting there healing and chatting with the enemy. This man was the cause of so much grief for her yet she had no choice but to make amends. It was so frustrating knowing she could do nothing more from now on. Was this how they all felt? Losing your family and then making amends while at the same time dying inside while knowing those who killed the people you loved were living happily. Living with the fact you could not get any type of justice or vengeance without causing trouble for yourself. She pushed the thought aside, deciding to dwell on it later.

"Where did you learn such advanced Medical Ninjutsu?"

"Why do you have so many questions?" she smirked in response.

"Is there a problem with getting to know your allies?" he chuckled.

"Why are you answering a question with a question?"

"Why are you doing the same?"

"Aw you two seem to be getting along," Hashirama interrupted as he walked up with Mito by his side. Both of them gave a glare, making him hide behind the woman.

"Sakura-chan, when you are finished we will be leaving for Uzushio to give a report about Team Wada," Mito said looking down.

"Hai Mito-sama," she nodded.

* * *

**_Author's Note: Didn't know how else to finish this chapter so I left it. I've been stumped for literally two hours. I am so happy to see so many reviews. Ten in one day! That is just beyond impressive for me seriously. And thank you all for the fight scene complements. It does make me feel good about my writing skills. So from here on I am trying to push out one chapter per week and if I can do it in the beginning of the w__eek.__ Thanks everyone!_**


	9. Chapter 8

"Hashirama, your smile is starting to creep me out," Madara told him with crossed his arms.

He looked over at the man who seemed to be thinking about something. They were looking over the area that the two decided long ago would be their village. The clans were now officially allies and they had much to do in order for their plans to progress but not long after they started to discuss what to do, Hashirama seemed to begin to daydream and wouldn't stop grinning.

"I can't be happy?" he asked, still smiling.

"You're acting a little too happy," he commented.

"I have good reason to be." Madara rolled his eyes, watching the trees blow in the wind.

"How long do you think it will take to build everything?"

"Hopefully within a few months. I am requesting for a few of the Uzumaki to stay with us. Even though we already established an alliance we have not really come together," Hashirama replied glancing at his friend.

"Would the pink haired girl be coming with them?" Hashirama gave a sly smile at the question.

"Of course. We need someone to keep you in line," he said with a grin backed by laughter.

"Watch yourself! I'll throw you off this damn cliff," he retorted. "How long have you had the alliance?" Madara questioned, eyebrows knitted.

"It has been official for almost a year now but we have talked about it for over two years," he said looking to the sky. "I am hoping Honshi-san will let Sakura come to stay with us. She is the only reliable medic anyone has and Uzushio may need her but I know she will want to stay here," he trailed off, his fingers to his lips as he was lost in thought.

"Why would she want or need to be in our village? I know it cannot be for medic reasons since you are capable of teaching others," Madara commented, turning to face his friend.

"Uh..." he paused, unsure what to say. For the first time he had said something without thinking it through and did not have a good response.

"Hashirama, what are you hiding?" Madara was not stupid and would not let it go like Tobirama would.

"Aniue you have a message from Mito-san," Tobirama said as he approached them with swiftness.

"Right. I must go now. Speak with you later," he said rushing off, leaving the other two in question.

_"You are a savior Tobirama!"_

* * *

**_Meanwhile_**

* * *

She looked over Uzushiogakure from Tori Tower, arms crossed over and resting on the rails. They had to leave so quickly Sakura had no time to ask Hashirama anything. She sighed heavily, wondering what she would do. She had students here and wanted to make sure they were advancing enough for the clan and village. But Konoha was going to be built, her home was going to exist again. Sure it wouldn't be the same but she would still be home.

That was a problem she began to think long and hard about. She had actually made this place her home and it would make her feel guilty if she left, knowing there is a chance she may not feel comfortable back in Konoha. There was so much she wanted to think about but it was so overwhelming that she couldn't think at all.

"Sakura-chan, you seem troubled," Mito said as she walked up next to her.

"I am. There are some things I cannot seem to figure out," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Just remember to relax. We were in battle for some time and so much has happened since then. Maybe you just need to do something different to clear your mind," Mito said with a smile, leaning on the rails like Sakura.

"You seem to be happy," Sakura commented with a slight smile.

"I am." Mito looked over to Sakura, tapping her finger on the rail. "Sakura-chan, I have only told Ojii-sama."

"What?" she questioned, looking confused.

"Hashirama proposed before we had left," she said looking down. "Though if we were to marry I know he would want me to live there with him."

"You're unsure about it?" she questioned.

"Hai. I do not want to leave but if I were to... I want you there with me. You are my best friend after all and the only one I feel I could trust." Mito looked over to Sakura with a worried look. She was the kind of woman who was cool, calm and always composed yet she was so worried and showed it. Sakura had never seen her so torn.

"I would go with you... but I worry about everyone here. None of the medics I have trained are ready to be on there own and there are not enough of them if by chance they go into battle."

"What about your three rules?" Miyo asked from behind them, startling the two.

"What?" Mito asked.

"First rule, No medic shall ever stop treatment until the lives of their party have come to an end. Second rule, no medic shall ever stand on front lines. Third rule, No medic shall ever die until they are the last of their party," she recited. "If those are the rules and we follow, then the rest of the team would be there to fight. And everyone is capable of handling things here."

"Glad you remember," Sakura smiled. "Still I wouldn't feel right leaving, there is still so much you all need to learn."

"Then see if you can take a few with you, train them in the village and send them back to teach us," Miyo argued with a bratty tone.

"Why do you want us to leave so badly?" Mito questioned crossing her arms, leaning her hip to the side.

"Because no one will catch me when I do something I shouldn't be," she smiled.

Sakura and Mito looked at each other with an amused look. It was true and Miyo was not afraid to admit it, but they knew Uzashi was the real reason the two found out about what she did. If they left then he would still catch her and Miyo would still get in trouble. Though she didn't seem to count on something like that happening.

"I would say take you with us..." Mito started.

"But that is just out of the question and could end badly for other people..." Sakura finished.

Sakura couldn't help but giggled at the expression Miyo made. She would miss this so much if she left. But if she stayed, what would Mito do. That could alter things in a very bad way. As much as she wanted to be happy, Sakura had almost forgotten that she was there to change the future for the better. Mito may be the push she needs to make sure things turn out.

She also forgot about Madara. They may have created an alliance but that did not mean it was over. Hashirama had trusted her enough to send her back even without knowing her well. So she had to make sure she did everything she could to keep things right in this time. Her power was amplified while being with the Uzumaki, thus she was confident she could do whatever was needed to keep things peaceful.

"Mito-chan..." The woman looked to Sakura, still amused by the little girl. "I'll go if you do," she smiled.

"Arigato," she sighed in relief.

"Mito-sama, you have a message," one of the women said from the other side of the tower.

Sakura leaned on the rail once again as Mito shooed the little girl away so she could read her message. It made her feel better about her decision when she saw the happiness in Mito's eyes. If anything she wanted to go so that her friend could be happy. She was in love, with a dunce in Sakura's opinion, and couldn't be happier. She pinkette couldn't help but to admit she was a bit jealous.

She envied Mito so much, especially knowing how her future played out. She was obviously in love with her future husband, had children and eventually grandchildren, and lived a long life. She never thought about it too much since she was, as she hated to admit, an emotional person. The thought of not being able to find that kind of love herself was a bit heartbreaking. If she did find someone, she would be too afraid she would screw up someone's future thus changing everything else like a ripple effect. Sure things weren't going to be the same regardless with her being in this time, there was still much that could happen.

She shook her head and turned to the redhead who was reading over the scroll. Just from a glance she could tell it was Hashirama's handwriting. Instead of dwelling on things, Sakura decided to just live her life as long as she could and try to be as happy as she can with her mission. It was all she felt she could do now.

"You still seem troubled," Mito commented.

"I'm fine. What does Honshi-sama have to say about all this?"

"Why don't you go ask him?" she giggled.

"I'll pass." Sakura had tried to hold back but unfortunately when they arrived back she had chew him out about sending Team Wada of all the people. It caused some problems but at least he was able to admit his fault and guilt... though she had a hard time apologizing for her rude behavior.

"He had admitted he was considering an arranged marriage to strengthen the bonds between clans. So I suppose you can say he was neutral about it," she sighed.

Sakura smiled, now understanding what Hashirama meant about it taking time for Mito to warm up to him last time.

* * *

Night fell too quickly for the restless. After they met back up, the clan leaders had to go over plans for the village and even with a whole day of work did not have much planned as of yet. It would take time yes but it was going to be stressful. Madara wasn't able to calm his mind with all his worries racing through his head. He was laying out on the roof of his home, watching the full moon.

It was difficult to get over things so quickly to build a whole village but it was for the best. His clan would need new stability, even though it pained him to go on with this knowing Izuna had been against it. If he had only went with his better judgement earlier and had spoken up about it, Izuna had a chance to be healed and live on. And eventually he would have understood how the alliance would have helped the clan.

He missed his brother dearly and would never truly forgive Tobirama for what he had done. Even if it was a war it was hard to forgive such things. He understood that well, along with many of the clan. But he had to be an example, to show that the adult's hatred and the children's hatred of today can be held back so the future generations can know peace and have an easier time letting the past go.

He leaned up with a sigh, rubbing his temple. Hashirama did not make things easier, being vague and constantly gazing off as he daydreamed. One thing he did relate to Tobirama was the fact every time one of them were around the Senju leader, they would slap him to snap him out of it He could only say or do so much, his own thoughts were occupied by one person. Uzumaki Sakura.

Madara couldn't help but smirk when thinking of the battle, wondering just what would have happened if he had more Chakra and wasn't so worn from the previous battle with Hashirama. He would actually consider fighting against her again just to see how well she could keep up. Where she could have possible learn or develop such skill was intriguing to say the least. He had seen nobody, nobody, with such healing abilities except for Hashirama.

He admitted to himself that he would like to see her come with the Uzumaki when the village was built. Her attitude was refreshing and new when it came to women. The Uchiha women were all the same, ready for battle or to bare children for battle. Something that irked him when he realized the latter fact as he got older. Even the ally Clan's to the Uchiha had when fighting the Senju had similar women, many of them either to afraid to approach him or thought him to be cold hearted.

Sakura was definitely different. She had passion and did not seem to care if she spoke her mind. The woman was intelligent, as he could tell from a few different conversations with her, and she did not seem to think of him as more than just another person. She did not fear him the same way others did. She was cautious yes but held no fear.

And she was kind to both sides of the battlefield. Madara had heard that she healed all the children, even the Uchiha. And even a few older people when she was on her own to avoid a conflict with her allies. It did make him question her but instead of jumping to conclusions like most people did, he wanted to find out firsthand why she did it. He was grateful regardless, since she helped save his clansmen.

With a sigh he jumped down, ready to retire for the night. Much was to be done in the upcoming months and he needed to start concentrating on it after a good nights rest.

* * *

_**Author's Note: I meant to update like two days ago but got caught up in some stuff. Anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter. More goodness to come in the next one ^.^**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: EXTRA CHAPTER! In honor of my first hundred reviews and favorites (for anything ever) and two hundred follows (wow), I decided to do a Bonus Chapter this week which is basically an extra update. Thank you all soooo much for liking my story. I know I say it every update or so but I do appreciate it. You all are awesome and if not for you I would have abandoned this story already lol seriously otherwise I would have no motivation to write! So enjoy!**_

* * *

_**Several Months Later**_

* * *

The Uzumaki group approached the village with Sakura and Mito leading. The journey was almost as nerve wracking as the one for the battle against the Uchiha. Sakura was barely able to keep her nerves down, on top of feeling drained. She was returning to Konoha, though it's name was unknown to others at the moment. She could barely keep a conversation with Mito and keep an eye on her students with her mind racing.

Luckily Miyo did not sneak on the boat with them and stayed behind with Uzashi. Sakura loved the girl but she did not want her around. She could cause so much trouble and was too much of a hyper handful at times. That and she was the best medic to help lead the others back in the Uzushio hospital.

When they had arrived the group was greeted by Hashirama, Madara and a couple Senju escorts. The Senju all wore something similar to Hashirama, traditional pinstriped kimono pants with a kimono shirt, all having different colors, and long haori. Madara wore something similar to his last outfit from battle, but a lighter color with bandages in place of a belt and no gloves.

The Senju immediately led the way through the village, probably to show everyone around. Mito and Hashirama, as anyone could guess, were already stuck by each other, laughing and having a pleasant conversation. Sakura could admit she had never seen two people more in love, not even her own parents. She couldn't help but smile at the two.

She looked around the village, noticing how small it actually was and how much of the forest was still incorporated into it. There was only so much of the village that stayed that way after so long. Soon with the population increase more houses would be built. How far the village would come in less than a hundred years was somewhat amazing to her.

"You are going to be the lead Medic, correct?" Madara asked, looking down at her. She had to stop herself from jumping, not noticing him walking right next to her.

"Hai. As far as I know," she replied, trying to figure out a way to get away without seeming rude.

"Then follow me," he told her as he stopped, turning to a different direction.

"Why?" she asked watching him carefully.

"You're going to be staying near the Hospital," he explained pointing to Hashirama. "He said you would be in charge of finishing the Hospital as well."

"He did, did he?" she questioned, glaring at the man who was slowly but surely distancing Mito and himself from them all.

"With that woman around, I doubt you will be able to get his attention long enough for anything. Let alone trust him to show you the where to go," Madara said placing a hand on his hip. It was true so she really couldn't get out of it.

"I guess we are going to the Hospital," she said with aggravation.

* * *

She felt uncomfortable and awkward for the first time in two years. The silence was unbearable and she didn't know what to bring up just to make conversation. Madara showed her around but the conversation was only a few sentences between them before they continued on. She would have rather had Tobirama show her around because at least then she wouldn't have to keep her gaze away just so she could focus.

After she had gotten most of her rage out on the battlefield, she did feel much better about her life. There was a chance she would never see her friends again since their births were so far down the timeline. Yet she had finally accepted it. She accepted what her fate had become. Yet she could not forgive Madara, no matter how much she told herself she had to. For the sake of the future she had to, but she couldn't... so she had to suck it up and just go with it.

They finally reached the hospital and it was small, a fraction of the size she was use to. Then again it was just built. Literally. He held the door as she walked in, looking around to see what she did recognize. It was all the same, the reception desks, the windows and doors and even saw a thin and long crack on the ceiling by the waiting room area that always bugged her. How did that thing make it so many years without getting fixed?

Her guess was that they must have just extended onto it down the line. Before getting to wrapped up in memories she began to look over the entire building, starting from one end to the other. Nothing was stocked and she noticed that some of the rooms were still unfinished and locked up until then. She had heard a few different things about the construction of the hospital, including the extra rooms that no one knew what to do with at the time.

She knew where everything would go and what was needed. Only problem was getting the right amount of supplies. She went into the only room with anything stocked, obviously used for those who needed medical help before the place was complete, and grabbed paper, something to write on and a pen. She counted everything she knew she needed, including beds, sheets, needles, medical equipment and so on.

Once she was satisfied with the first estimate she made her way back to the front. Madara leaned against the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest, lost in thought. He did seem different, not so battle hungry and psychopathic as when they met him in the war. Instead he had a sad look on his face. After thinking about it, she realized he had no family left and lost his brother before the big battle.

It made her feel a little sad for him, knowing how he was feeling. She sighed lightly, gaining even more questions for Hashirama when they could sit and talk. She made sure to make a bit of noise on her way back over and looked around, giving him time to gather himself.

"The place doesn't seemed to be complete but I do know what I need at least," she said focusing back on that tiny crack.

"How long before it's completion?" he asked pushing himself off the door, opening it for her as she passed.

"Maybe a month if I get all the supplies," she said turning to look at the building, hands on her hips. It would take time but it would get there.

"Can I ask something?" he said turning to her.

"Sure," she said turning to look at him.

"Why did you save the Uchiha on the battlefield?" he said with a serious look. The question caught her by surprise but wasn't something she couldn't answer.

"Most of them were children. No matter what the risk and outcome would be, I refuse to harm a child let alone kill them. They were innocent, scared and too young to have to deal with war," she answered honestly, with a hint of anger on the subject. "That's why I even sent all the Senju children away."

"And the older Uchiha?" he asked with a confused look.

"I did not grow up with the same rules you all did. I am a medic and there were Shinobi on the battlefield who I seen take a hit for someone they cared about so I helped them. I couldn't let them die like that, not with that look." She had began to mumble, looking to the ground. They had that look of pleading, as if knowing something bad would happen to the person they tried to save without them. Something told her to help, she couldn't explain it but she knew she had to.

"Hmm," Madara said thinking about what she said. "I thank you for that. My clan means everything to me." She looked up at him to see he really was thankful.

"Where to next?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Follow me," he instructed, walking away.

She followed, this time being side by side with him. He seemed normal, something that was a little strange to her. But seeing him open up a bit like that took her uneasiness away. Just a bit. She noticed they were close to where the Hokage tower would eventually be, although it was hard to tell without the Hokage faces to give more of a guideline to location in the village.

Some houses started to come into view. Most of them had two floors, each house having two windows on each floor and side and they were all somewhat far apart. It was simple yet nice. Madara led her to the closest one, which had an Uzumaki symbol on the front door. He opened it up to show her the inside. It was a little bare but she knew she would need to customize it herself. The living space was huge with a decent sized kitchen off towards the back, with a staircase to the left.

She made sure to look around and figure out what she would do for her home. She would focus on the hospital first before doing onthing too drastic to the house. She quickly ran up the stairs and began checking the rooms. The two bedrooms, hers and a spare, had a nice sized futon in each with a dresser already in it. There was also a bathroom and another room she was going to use as a study room.

She went back down with a little bit of excitement and a smile. She was much happier than she had expected to be. Her only worry was that the homesickness from missing Uzushio didn't hit her too had later down the line. She took a few more looks around the place to get a feel for it. Before long a loud noise came from the doorway as two of her students tripped and dropped the luggage they carried. They two Uzumaki twin boys began to bicker over whose fault it was after just a minute.

"Why couldn't I have chosen all girls?" Sakura mumbled with a hand to her hip. She heard Madara chuckle from behind her.

"Zoku, Roiki! Knock it off!" Mito yelled from outside. The two quickly got up and began to move the crates inside.

"Why do we have to carry the heavy stuff?" The one with the high pony tail whined.

"Because you can't keep your mouth shut," the one with the low ponytail laughed.

Sakura rolled her eyes and followed Madara out the door to see Mito and Hashirama talking with each other. They only brought the essentials but Sakura didn't realize that hse was the only one who brought ALL of her stuff. Including her scrolls, and books, that were in the crates. And Mito was making those two do all the work. They were only fifteen and weren't exactly the strongest of the bunch.

"I couldn't have taken care of things," she commented.

"Let them do the work as punishment." With that statement Sakura left the subject alone.

When Mito was pissed, she was not one to mess with. Sakura was violent and had a short fuse, Mito was silent and planned out her revenge most of the time. This was only the beginning of their punishment. Sakura could not stop grinning at the terrified look Hashirama had when looking at Mito. That was always going to give her great pleasure.

* * *

Night finally came around and she was able to get most of her scrolls organized and her clothes put away. Luckily she was able to have Hashirama make a few tables for her with his wood release to save on doing it later. Even if it caused a bit of clutter. The twins just had to stack everything in one room. At least she got it all clear up and set the crates to the side for later use.

She was asked to attend a celebration by Hashirama, in which he had planned for the arrival of the Uzumaki. If anything Mito was the reason she considered going. They mentioned announcing the engagement to everyone so it seemed she had no choice. Not too many people would be there after an hour or two anyway. She brought out her simple red yukata with white flower looking snowflakes around the bottom, slowly moving up, with a green Obi to match her eyes. Mito had it made based off her own design for Sakura so it seemed appropriate. They did invite people telling them to wear something nice and bright after all.

After a while when everyone was there, well almost everyone, Hashirama made the announcement and it was almost as if he told everyone to compete in a drinking contest they drank so much. It was nice seeing people get together and having a good time, drinking. Even the Uchiha joined in and they actually seemed to have a good time... drinking. Some of the children did need to go home because they were tired so eventually the party did die down when parents left as well.

Sakura sat in a tree observing the scene that went on. Hashirama had a card game going with one of the Uzumaki, two of the Senju and three of the Uchiha. It was getting interesting to say the least considering the winner picks a person to drink. She sighed and looked to the sky, clearing her mind. In one day, from morning to night, she had no break. It wasn't as if she was physically exhausted, that would be a rare occurrence. She was more mentally and emotionally exhausted.

"Surprised you are still around," Madara commented, landing next to her.

"Are you stalking me?" she questioned with a look. He did seem to appear randomly, and sometimes conveniently, when least expected the entire day.

"Why would I stalk you?" he questioned in return. She rolled her eyes and patted the branch next to her. He sat down, leaning forward a little to get a good view of the celebration.

"You wouldn't have a reason?" she said, grinning when he made a face.

"Are we really doing this again?"

"Does it annoy you?"

"Can you be serious?" he said turning his head to look at her with his own smirk.

"Screw you," she said when she couldn't think of another question, making him chuckle.

Cheering was heard below, with a very drunk Hashirama complaining. The two continued to watch until Tobirama had to get his brother, who would almost fall over when he tried to stand and walk. Madara shook his head, slightly embarrassed at his friend. Sakura clasped her hand over her mouth to hold in her laughter.

"How do you put up with him?" Sakura asked, unable to understand how Hashirama and Madara were ever friends.

"I'm questioning that myself," he told her honestly.

She looked up to see the dark clouds in the sky. The party would have to end soon if it started to storm. She wanted to leave anyway so now would be the perfect chance. The sooner she was able to get home the sooner she could sleep and that was something she really wanted right now. Keep her eyes open was hard enough let alone keeping up with conversation. She stood up carefully and held onto the side of the tree for balance. She almost let out a yelp when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Madara held onto her as they jumped down.

"Thanks," she said.

"You seem tired enough to fall over," he replied as they began to walk away from the party.

"I haven't had sleep in three days and I think my Chakra is finally giving out," she explained.

She had been working so hard at the hospital in Uzushio training some of the students for the last time that she wasn't able to take a break before they departed. And just before that she had to deal with a group of Shinobi who tried to attack the village thus she used a lot of Chakra taking them out. There was so much going on she had used most of her remaining Chakra just to stay awake before arriving. Not to mention all that had happened today. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep for a week.

The walk was silent but it was much more comfortable than it had been the first time. Madara wasn't bad company like she had always thought. He was actually pleasant to be around, and quite the gentleman. Whatever caused him to change had to be drastic and hit quite the nerve in order to change him. Though she could see it started already with the looks he had been given. It seemed not many trusted being around him, including some of his own clan.

She leaned against him as she yawned, her home finally coming into view. He held onto her tighter making her feel a bit more secured. Her seal must have disappeared by now due to the lack of Chakra so having help getting home was something she was thankful for. Though it did make her feel a bit embarrassed considering her walking as similar to that of a drunk. When they reached the house she back off of him and looked up at him. He had a small smile so she smiled in return.

"Thanks for bringing me home."

"My pleasure. I'll see you around," he said ready to leave.

"Have a good night." Sakura stood on her tippi toes and kissed him on the cheek. The look of shock on his face was priceless.

They both parted ways, she into the house and he down the road. She leaned against the door and sighed, question herself as to why she did that. Instead of spending any energy on the thought she decided to use it to get upstairs to change and get to bed. This was just the beginning, now that she was here she had so much to do.


	11. Chapter 10

Life was rather pleasant since Sakura arrived in the village. Some of her students progressed efficiently enough to return to Uzushiogakure with Mito, whom she never got to see much of anymore. She had to return to speak with her grandfather about the wedding ceremony and when returning to the village she would bring more medics for Sakura to train. It worked out and helped with the alliances so Sakura didn't mind the work.

The hospital was running smoothly since she got in up and running, in half the time she had anticipated. It wasn't used much since there wasn't many injures aside from long term illnesses, training mishaps and the occasional births. She had been trying to advance her own medical skills in different fields so she could keep herself busy when she was bored and she had nothing else to do. Being in charge of her own hospital and having peace was nice but she did miss having missions.

She was able to talk with Hashirama and find out more about what he wanted her to do, which basically included keeping Madara company. He eventually believe control was needed in order to maintain peace and the Senju leader hoped between the two they could change his mind. It was a start but she figured he had other plans to back it up just in case.

The day was coming towards the end and Sakura made sure to check the last few new students who were staying late. Once she rounded the corner towards the entrance, there he was as usual. Madara stood there waiting patiently, glaring at the crack on the ceiling. She wondered if it bother him just as much as it bother her.

"What took you so long?" he asked glancing towards her.

"Had to take care of some things before I could get ready to leave. It is a hospital after all," she replied as he opened the door for her.

"Have you heard?" he asked as they walked towards her place.

"Heard about what?" she asked letting her hair down and out of the ponytail she had.

"The Uzumaki are returning in a week. Hashirama also informed me that the wedding will be in two weeks from that time," he told her, moving her hair behind her ear once again out of habit. It was a sweet gesture she had gotten use and didn't mind.

"Finally. I was wondering if Mito-chan was actually going to return. It's been lonely without her," she said crossing her arms.

"Well I guess my presence doesn't matter then."

"You know what I mean." She gave him a look while he grinned in return. "How have things been going with the academy?"

"We finally have things established, so it should be up and running within the week," he explained.

"How did you fair overlooking it with Tobirama?" she said trying to hold back a grin.

"First it is not funny..." he said gritting his teeth. "And second, we managed."

It was fun to tease him because she knew she was able to get away with it. She really could push her limits before changing the subject and found his tolerance impressive yet amusing. Her home was now in sight and so was Hashirama, who was waiting for the two with his usual goofy smile. It was nice hanging around them, it was like having her old team back.

"How long have you been waiting?" she asked, opening the door and inviting them in.

"Not long. I didn't realize I was going to be here on time," he commented walking in.

"I had issues at the end of the day. You should know what that's like," she said as she made her way to the kitchen to start making tea, the other two seating themselves at the table.

"I do. It can be so difficult, especially with messaging."

"Do you send messages to anyone other than Mito?" Madara asked, crossing his arms and leaning back a bit.

"Of course. Tobirama makes me," he said in an upbeat tone. As soon as he said it Sakura almost dropped the cups, holding back laughter. The way he said things sometimes was easily amusing to others.

She watched the two as she placed the cups on the table, thinking about the village. It was so peaceful and different from what she had been use to. Not too much changed over the years she had noticed. From what she learned from History and from Hashirama himself, aside from Madara's attempts to attack the village there really wasn't much war going on. Not until the First Shinobi World War.

She brought the rest of the things to the table, pulling back Madara's chair as she did which caused him to fall back with it. Hashirama burst out in laughter as she set things on the table. She sat down then moved her leg under the front of his chair and swiped it, causing him to fall back too. It was always fun having them around.

"Ow./The Hell?" they exclaimed.

"Never leave yourself open. Especially leaning back in my chairs," she commented while pouring tea for the two as they got up.

"You can be cruel," Hashirama said as he fixed his chair.

"You both should know," she said with a smirk with Madara chuckling in the background.

* * *

The evening was quite pleasant, the three just chatting and doing nothing more. She enjoyed hearing the stories about what they did as children, imagining how interesting it would have been to end up in that time. It was actually a horrifying thought at the same time. But she wouldn't have minded seeing their younger selves. Sakura shared her own stories, knowing where to leave information out, replacing it or modifying it.

"It would help if you didn't punch every person you knew," Hashirama commented for obvious reasons. She didn't punch everyone but the stories she told did consist of Naruto or Sai saying something that had them in pain.

"You do have a bad habit of doing that," Madara added on.

"Hey they deserved it and so did you two. Then again we were at war," she said looking at Madara before turning to Hashirama. "And you... you deserved it."

"You are beyond cruel," he said, his head hanging low.

"You know some perverted people," Madara said crossing his arms.

"They're just morons."

"That reminds me..." Hashirama interrupted. "We have another interested in joining the village."

"Really?" Madara asked curiously.

"How does talking about morons remind you about that?" Sakura asked pouring more tea in their cups.

"Just a thought that popped in my mind that I forgot to mention," he defended.

"Go on," she smiled, having fun teasing him.

"The Akimichi Clan. It seems since the village has been established even more clans have been interested," he nodded to himself.

"The Akimichi huh?" Sakura whispered, a small smile appearing on her face. It had been a long time since she had heard that name.

"We will need to expand soon," Madara added, thinking to himself.

"I didn't think we would have to so soon. Especially all the smaller Shinobi families who have started to settle here," he smiled.

"I have noticed more people around. I'm guessing that is because of the new homes that have been built?" she questioned, pouring herself more tea.

"Exactly," he nodded.

Just as he said it there was a knock on the door. Sakura groaned and got up, Hashirama sighing as he did the same. She opened the door to see Tobirama standing there, waiting for his brother. She wanted to make a smart comment but left it alone, deciding against pissing him off tonight.

"Where is Hashirama?" he asked, as if he didn't already know.

"He's here," she said, ignoring the glare.

She let the two out, Hashirama starting a conversation with his brother as they left. When he was excited and starting talking, it was difficult to get him to stop. She gave a smirk to the man, making him even more aggravated. She had to admit, it was fun to mess with such superior people she learned about growing up. Even if it did cause her own temper to fume at times.

"I should be leaving as well. It was a nice evening," Madara commented as she held the door.

"It was," she agreed. "See you tomorrow?"

"Most likely," he said walking out the door.

They waved before she shut the door, letting out a heavy sigh. This was the first time she was able to enjoy herself without Mito around. She had learn quite a bit about them and that made things even better. Before she forgot, Sakura made sure to clean the table off and grab something to make a quick snack before she headed off to bed.

Hearing about the village expanding was a bit exciting, now that it was getting close to the size she remembered it. Things were a little bitter sweet when she heard such familiar names. It made her uneasy when she heard about a small Shinobi family with the name Yamanaka who came into the village. It took her time to get use to it all. In the end she tried to go with it. Allowing events to play out the way they were suppose to and just doing what she had to.

* * *

Everyone was getting along so far which was a bit shocking to Madara. Once the village was officially established, they came together with less hatred than he anticipated. There were a few who showed how much they did not care for the alliance or the village but at least they gave things a chance. It seemed as if the presence of the Uzumaki actually helped bring a few of those people together.

One Uzumaki in particular could could convince, or frighten, them into giving things a chance. He respected Sakura with her strength and impressive skills but it seemed as if there was more to her. Once she was away from a crowd, she would avoid people as much as possible. It confused him greatly since her social skills were normal, considering she always had something to talk about or teach yet she didn't interact with anyone if she didn't have to.

He sighed as he sat up, rubbing his forehead. The evening went rather well but it still didn't keep his mind from thinking about various things in the village. People seemed to try to ignore him and keep their distance from him and it was irritating. It was times like these he missed Izuna the most. At times they would spar and it helped clear his mind.

He jumped down from the roof before starting to walk through the village, lost in his thoughts. They finally built the village but he still could not get rid of the guilt he had for not finding a way to save Izuna when he could. It all seemed pointless without him. No matter how many times Hashirama told him to think of the villagers as his brethren, it would never happen.

Hashirama himself was a handful to deal with. He wondered how Tobirama was able to keep calm whenever the man said something stupid or had an idea that did not make sense. Then again he dealt with being around Hashirama as a child so his patience with the man was also questionable. He envied his friend more than he would ever envy anyone for the fact he still had his brother. Madara never realized how much it hurt to be without Izuna.

"You seem lost in thought."

He looked ahead with surprise, seeing Sakura standing there with her simple green yukata. She must have been wandering around like he had been. Seeing her there actually made him feel better, just a bit. The only normal person he could talk to and hold a conversation with was Sakura, which wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Especially after the first day.

"Why are you out and about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I have a lot to think about and I need to clear my mind," she replied walking up to him. "Besides, wouldn't hurt to get to know the surroundings of the village better with it expanding."

"True, but you seemed to have known your way around well enough already."

"I'm just good with direction," she smiled. "Why are you out and about?" He smirked as she quoted him.

"I have things on my mind and cannot seem to clear my head," he said with a sigh.

"Looks like we both have too much to think about," she said with a light laugh.

"Walk with me?" he suggested, catching her by surprise.

She nodded in response, both walking side by side. He watched her look around at the tree that began to change color. She seemed content and relaxed, a smile starting to form from her lips. He moved her hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear so he could look at her better. She looked up at him, moving away slightly.

"That reminds me..." he started, grabbing something from around his wrist. They stopped for a moment before he took her hand. "Since it was unable to be fixed properly, I did something so that you would still have it."

He tied the ribbon bracelet around her wrist. It was the same ribbon he had cut off from her hair, only braided with a string to tie it on each end. She looked up at him, her eyes starting to water and turn red. She was speechless as she started to move it around, inspecting it.

"Why.. how did you..?" she said, unable to question him.

"I found it after the battle. I knew it had to mean something to you. Considering you snapped after I had cut it off," he said with a smirk, causing her to giggle lightly. "I had to do something with it so I did the first thing I could come up with."

"Thank you," she whispered after a moment. "Miyo gave it to me the first day I arrived with the Uzumaki. It reminded me of my friends so it held more sentimentality than anything."

"How long have you been with them? It is quite obvious you are not an Uzumaki," he noted.

"Two... maybe three years. They are the only family I have an I feel guilty for being here," she said before realizing what she had admitted.

"What happened to your family?" She never did explain too much about her life before the Uzumaki accept for a few stories concerning her comrades. It left him even more curious than he had been before.

It wasn't everyday the Uzumaki would let a wandering Shinobi into the clan. Especially with how swiftly she was given her surname. Most of the time those who were saved were civilians who got caught in the crossfire and would end up dead at the hands of Shinobi clans. Sakura didn't just learn what she knows over night, meaning there was more to the story than what he already knew. She seemed reluctant to say anything though.

"It is hard to explain," she started, trying to find the words. "Someone believed that in order to create peace you needed to take control yourself. He started a war between himself and people I knew long before I was even around. In the end he got the power he wanted but ended up only being a tool for someone else."

"What happened?" he asked, watching her.

"Everyone I knew, my parents, my friends, my comrades, ended up losing their lives because there was nothing we could do. I don't even know what happened to my team," she said, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. "My team was like my closest family and I don't even know what happened to them. Hashirama was able to save me but I wondered if it was worth it."

He never realized she had lost more than just her family, understanding just how much she had to be hurting. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she started to sob. She attempted to move away but was too upset, even though she tried to stop her sobbing. Sakura may not have told him everything but it was enough for now. He stroked her hair to try to calm her as she started to cry harder.

* * *

She couldn't help it. She knew she shouldn't be showing weakness like this but telling Madara anything was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Especially since it was his doing. It was a bit ironic, he was the cause of it all yet here he was comforting her in the past. It was never going to be the same and the ribbon officially set her off. Every once and a while her emotions got the best of her and she would cry.

She started to calm down, taking deep breaths. They were embraced for a long time, though she did not mind. It was nice having someone comfort hurt. She looked up at him, swallowing hard. He seemed really concerned about her well being, which was still strange to her. Sakura wiped the tears from her cheeks, looking away to avoid eye contact from slight embarrassment.

"Sakura, look at me." Madara grabbed her chin and made her look at him when she refused to even move. "You are here now. And no matter what happens, with your power here you can protect your new friends and family. That is also why you have been training the Uzumaki from Uzushio isn't it? So that they can return and help others."

"Hai," she replied, looking at him.

Out of instinct she hugged him tightly. Madara wrapped his arms around her and held her for as long as she needed. He didn't seem to mind it either as he rubbed her back gently. She let her mind wander on other things to try to calm down completely and sighed.

"Thank you Madara. I haven't really told anyone anything and it feels good to let it out," she said.

"No need to thank me. I know what it is like to lose those you love."

"Hashirama told me you lost someone before the battle," she looked up at him, mentally noting just how short she was.

"My otouto..." he said with a sigh. "Izuna was injured by Tobirama in one of our battles against the Senju. He ended up hurt worse than our medics predicted, thus he ended up dying from the injury. Hashirama had already asked me to join him but Izuna did not trust the Senju and it stopped me from taking his offer. If I had just taking his offer then Izuna may have been able to be healed."

He had so much regret in his eyes that it was no wonder he went down the path he did. His brother meant everything to him and she could see how much pain it caused him. Hearing it from him had more of an impact than hearing it from Hashirama. She could tell how much Madara missed his brothers company.

"Same thing you just told me. You have many people here who are now your family and you can protect them," she told him softly. He seemed to think on it for a second, as if he hadn't expected to hear his own words. "And even if he is a handful you always have Hashirama, he thinks of you as his own sibling so you should do the same."

"Unfortunately I couldn't do that. Even if I really wanted to Tobirama would be too much to deal with," he grunted. She rolled her eyes at his statement. Tobirama was hard to deal with due to his attitude but he did mean well. Probably just needed an attitude adjustment and she was pretty good at doing that.

"Well you still have me here. How about that?" she grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

"That sounds better," he smiled. "I think it be best if we got some sleep. I am sure we both have much to do tomorrow," he said as he let her go.

"Unfortunately." She didn't want to go home yet, but knew they both needed to part. "Thanks for the comfort."

"I should say the same," he smiled before kissing her forehead. She could feel the blush build up as he did. It was inevitable, she had never really had any type of affection like it before.

"Night," she said, reluctantly leaving.

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan."

* * *

_**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. Was suppose to update yesterday but my brother and sister took over the computer and I had no time to finish writing, even today. Sorry for the short chapter but the next will be longer..Promise! Anyway thank you all for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 11

It had been quite a slow week and Sakura was ready to leave. She had to deal with paperwork most of the day to make sure things were organized and in place. Since the Village was allying with Land of Fire, she had to make sure she had a full report for the hospital. After she finished and sent it off, she made her way down the halls and straight to the front door.

It seemed the last few days she hadn't really had a chance to see Madara or Hashirama. They were busier than normal but she didn't really mind. She was relieved when it came to Madara really. She felt so embarrassed about the other night, especially with her situation, that she didn't want to see him at all. She hoped it wouldn't end up too weird once they saw each other again.

She turned the corner, hoping to get out through a hallway shortcut, only to see the Uzumaki twins getting into trouble... naturally. She stood only a few feet from them as they peeked through a door, whispering about the patient in the room. Sakura raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms while flaring her Chakra a bit so the sensors would realize she was there.

Oh the way the two tensed when sensing her made a deadly smile appear on her face. They slowly turned their heads to see their Sensei tapping her foot and a look of anger and mischief on her face the way only Sakura could. Instead of being perverts like most who were caught peeping, they were gossiping about others and knew Sakura did not approve. They gulped and stood up straight before she could say a word, knowing they had a punishment in store.

"Explain. You have thirty seconds," she said as calmly as she could. Both started to try explaining but together it sounded like gibberish. "One at a time! Zoku?"

"This stranger guy came in with some serious injures and babbling as if he was drunk. The things he said were funny and annoying," Zoku, the one with the low ponytail explained first.

"So we kind of followed and got caught in the drama going on with this lady and her onii-san," Roiki, the on with the high ponytail finished.

"You two know better than to spy on people," she said narrowing her eyes. They both gulped, waiting for punishment. "So you both will stay the night here and clean every unoccupied room, sanitize all the unused medical equipment and in the morning when you're done, switch out that equipment for what has been used through the night so you can make sure to sanitize those before leaving."

The two looked at each other with wide eyes. The hospital wasn't very busy so that meant the entire place just about. Sakura had learned to control her temper with these two only because the looks on their faces was much more enjoyable than punching them. Mito had taught her how to deal with the troublemakers like them and it was fun when it came to punishment. She wanted to add in her office but she didn't fully trust them with the scattered paperwork.

"Hai, Sensei," the two said before rushing off to get started. If there was one thing you could do to kill them on the inside, it was to take away there precious sleep time.

Satisfied, Sakura continued on her way to exit the hospital. She walked down the streets of the Village, getting further than she had been before. It had been worrisome thinking of what could have happen if she interacted with other too much but then she started to get a bit lonely and bored when she didn't have people around her. It was going to be the first time she really made her way around the Village.

She had always gotten strange looks, something she was use to it the first couple months in Uzushio. Her hair was in a bun with two scalpels in place of chopsticks, a dark red kimono shirt with cherry blossom petals on it with a pink obi. She had black pants and bandages wrapped around her shins and her shinobi heels. At least not too many people judged her, they all respected her too much but there were a select few who were annoyingly judgmental to everyone.

She stopped by the Academy, thinking about how much it expanded in the future. Everything was so similar yet different, definitely harder to get use to than she expected. She watched some of the students chatting as they exited the Academy with their parents. At times like this it made her miss her parents.

"Sensei, it is nice to see you out of the hospital." Sakura turned to see a brunette standing by with a baby in her arms.

"Yumiko-san," she smiled cheerfully, both hugging slightly. "How is Mushi?" shed asked looking at the baby.

"He is doing fine. A little whiny in the morning but otherwise no trouble at all," she said happily.

Yumiko was the first woman she had in the delivery part of the hospital. There were some complications since the baby had almost suffocated but she was successful thanks to learning from the midwives in Uzushio. Yumiko on the other hand almost died from blood loss. Sakura was able to act fast and save her life but she had to stay a bit longer in the hospital. In that time Sakura had kept her company and made a new friend.

"That is good to hear. And you?"

"I feel better than ever. I do thank you for all you have done," she said as she bowed slightly.

"No need for that," Sakura smiled.

"I have to get going to see my nee-chan. Will I see you around?" she asked with what seemed like worry.

"Maybe," Sakura shrugged.

"See you," Yumiko said as she walked away.

Sakura sighed as she continued on her way, walking down the streets. After a while she started to make some turns, only to end up somewhere she had been before. Her concentration wasn't the best and she was practically forcing herself to stay awake. Sleep did not come easy these days so she had been relying on her Seal to keep her going. Now that she was getting tired enough she may be able to sleep tonight.

After a bit of time she was able to round her way back near the Academy. She stopped to see the young girl tending to the flower shop and smiled. Her hair was short and light brown with a small clip holding her bangs to one side. She had blue grey eyes and her hair style was the same as Ino's had been when they first met as children. The girl turned around and instantly smiled when she saw her.

"Sensei!" she exclaimed running to hug her.

"Inomi, you have a strong hold you know that?" she laughed hugging the girl back.

"Gomen. It has been so long since I've seen you. Why haven't you visited before now?" she asked tilting her head.

"I have been busy. Are you going to be attending the academy?" she asked placing her hands on her hips.

"Okaa-sama wants me to but I am not sure," she said looking down, twiddling her thumbs.

"You are afraid, aren't you?" Sakura asked already knowing the answer.

"What if I don't do well? Oto-sama says I will be able to learn much more at the Academy and that he will help me with the Yamanaka's jutsu but I am still worried I won't do well," she ranted.

"You will do fine. Trust me, you can become a great Shinobi. Just trust your instincts and do your best," Sakura smiled, placing a hand on her head. Inomi nodded, not fully reassured.

"Sakura-sensei!"

Before Sakura could see who called her, she was hit hard and almost knocked out from the side. At first she thought it was an attack until she realized it was Miyo, tackling her. The girl was almost unrecognizable aside from the bright red hair and the cheerful attitude. She wore an outfit almost identical to Sakura but with leaves and a dark green obi. Her hair was in two buns like Mito yet with some hair still down her back and framing her face. She looked as if she had grown some, but still had to look up at Sakura.

"Miyo, are you trying to kill me?" she said getting her balance.

"Maybe," she giggled.

"Sakura-chan," Mito's voice echoed, gaining their attention.

"Mito-chan!" Sakura shouted, hugging the woman.

She had forgotten they were coming back and it didn't fully hit her until she heard Mito. As soon as she let go the two started to talk about what they had missed almost instantly. Sakura didn't really have too much to explain since there wasn't much going on with her end. Mito was almost the same, aside from the news about the wedding in which she would explain later.

Before he could say anything Sakura hugged, and almost knocked down, Uzashi. She did not expect either he or Miyo to come back with Mito. In fact she had not heard much of what was going on with either of them at all. It was such a surprise that Sakura had to keep herself from crying.

"Sakura-sensei, can you show me the Hospital. I want to make sure I get a feel for it as soon as I can," Miyo announced in excitement.

"Who says you are going to be working in the Hospital?" Sakura asked with a hand on her hip.

"I do," she replied with a grin.

"I can take you there. I need to check on the twins after all," Mito sighed.

"No you don't," Sakura replied trying not to laugh.

"Why?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"They'll tell you. If they know what's good for them," she said turning to her.

"I suppose I should definitely check on them," Mito replied.

"Sakura-chan, you look tired," Uzashi told her as Miyo started to argue with the Yamanaka.

"Restless nights," she turned to him.

"That explains it," he nodded.

Both of their attention had been caught by Miyo who was now in a heated argument with Inomi. Sakura groaned, not wanting to deal with the girls already. The Uzumaki was full of children who reminded her, with lots of fear, of a younger Naruto. Not only did she have to deal with the twins but now Miyo was here which meant she would be here for some time. Probably until the end of the wedding. Even with Mito she wasn't sure she could put up with them.

"Sakura," someone else said catching her attention. She turned to see Tobirama who looked like he was in a hurry.

"What are in you in such a rush for?" she asked.

"What did you say!?" Miyo exclaimed. Uzashi quickly grabbed Inomi while Mito had gotten a hold on Miyo before the two went at it.

"Tobirama?" she said gettign his attention back to the question.

"Have you seen Hashirama or Madara today?" he asked crossing his arms as usual.

"Iie." She shook her head, curiosity creeping up. "Why?"

"I know Hashirama will most likely be with Madara and the Feudal Lords are coming to discuss serious matter about the Village. Yet I cannot find him," he said with agitation.

"I'll help you look," she told him turning to the group. "Miyo behave yourself! And Inomi, do not let what her bratty mouth says get you riled up."

"Hey!" Miyo shouted, growling.

"Gomen Sensei," Inomi bowed, sticking her tongue out at Miyo before quickly running back into the shop.

"I'll deal with her." Mito let Miyo go but not without a threatening hand on her shoulder. With a nod Sakura then went off to find the two, kind of regretting leaving the hospital so soon.

* * *

"Where else could they be if not around here?" Sakura questioned, not knowing where to start checking aside from the usual places they could be found.

"I do not know," he replied continuing down the street.

"You make great conversation," she said, getting a glare from the man. It was a quote Madara once used and it seemed to only annoy Tobirama more than anything.

"Not funny in any way," he replied looking up where the Hokage heads would one day be. "I know where to look."

She followed him, a bit cautious. Something Hashirama once said suddenly came to mind. He had mention it a while ago but she just brushed it off as him being is goofy self. But she was going to start listening and takingit a bit more seriously now that she put two and two together.

_"Follow the Tobirama. Just look at the soon to be Hokage faces."_

She should have realize it before but that was the key. That location had to mean something and since she, and Hashirama, knew it would be there she would notice where they were going much quicker. Did he know she would follow Tobirama or was he always sending out clues in hopes that it would help? Either way it was like him.

"Where are we going?"

"To the place they both go to watch over the Village," he told her.

"Tobirama can I ask you something?" she asked catching up with him before they had to get to the top.

"Sure," he said, looking towards her.

"Why do you hate Madara so much? Aside from the fact he is an Uchiha," she said with a smart tone. She already knew most of the reasoning but she wanted it make sure she asked questions so no one wondered why she knew so much, even though she could use Hashriama as an excuse. But he was always in enough trouble as it was.

"Do not believe I hate all Uchiha. And I am not trying to cause trouble if that is what you are implying. I am just weary of them and believe we must be cautious. They are a powerful clan after all," he said with a serious look. "And Madara is the most dangerous. He has the Eternal Mangekyo and could destroy all that he had helped create if he betray us."

"I can see your point but don't you think a little trust could possibly help. Especially with it being you of all people," she explained.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" he asked offended.

"You can be... intense sometimes."

"And you don't have temper issues?" he shot back.

"Excuse me!?" she shouted instantly angered.

"For example, the way you just shouted. One thing said the wrong way and you either yell and them or punch them. So you cannot say a thing about me."

She stopped for a minute and growled, fist clenched and teeth gritted. She wanted to knock him out so badly but knew it would only prove his point and the last thing she wanted was to satisfy him with proving him right. Instead she tried to calm herself and continued on. After a while, and aggravation, they finally saw the two standing above the Village laughing and joking.

"There you are! Why are you goofing off here? The Feudal Lords from the Land of Fire will be here soon for the Conference," he shouted. He irritated her even more as she made her way to the duo.

"Tobirama," Madara said as the two stared at each other with obvious detest.

She wasn't sure why they bothered her so much but she could tell it was the same with Hashirama who gave her a knowing look. This had to be what he meant when giving that hint. The Senju both went there way, Hashirama trying to lighten the mood as he spoke as Sakura walked close with Madara, glancing around.

"Madara, you seem troubled," she commented. He was caught off guard and looked at her.

"It's nothing," he sighed.

Once they were near the Village and were going to part she stopped. She then slowly made her way to the forest area and cleared her throat while crossing her arms. She knew Miyo had been spying, probably given Mito a stupid excuse so that she would let her go. She wasn't going to be anger because she had something in mind.

"Miyo, I have a special mission for you." Miyo quickly came from her hiding spot and was in front of Sakura in a second. As long as she didn't get in trouble the girl would have no problem with coming out of hiding... a good yet bad things at times. "I'm not sure how well you can do it but please annoy Tobirama for as long as you can while in the Village."

"Sakura-sensei..." Miyo said with a pouting face. "You underestimate me," she finished with a mischievous look.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Yeah here is yet another chapter! Just so you know, I plan on doing a separate fanfic in Miyo's point of view starting from this chapter. So by next update I should have it up and if you want to read you can.**_

_**Also I have had certain reviews that have bugged me (especially last chapter, the reason I moderate reviews now). All I have to say is if you don't like the way I write or the way the story progresses then its simple.. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE IT, DO NOT READ! Some people can be rude and nasty and have very bad grammar and/or filthy mouths .**_


	13. Chapter 12

She jogged to catch up with Madara, watching as Miyo ran of to find Mito. She could tell he was agitated, he gave off a very unpleasant vibe. It was no wonder people tried to avoid him, if he was in a bad mood then someone might take it the wrong way. Hashirama was nowhere in sight so she guessed he had already been on his way to see the Feudal Lords. Sakura caught up with Madara and looked at him with a sigh.

"You really that upset?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Hn." She rolled her eyes. Typical answer she half expected.

"Come on," she said grabbing his arm and pulling him down the street that would lad them to her house.

"Let.. go," he said trying to pull her hand off, only causing her insane grip to tighten.

"Stop being stubborn," she said stopping and turning to him.

"I am not being stubborn."

"Yes you are."

"No I am not."

"Yes you are."

"You two argue like an old married couple," Miyo said, giggling at both of them. She immediately hid behind Uzashi when she saw the deadly glares they gave her.

"Sakura-chan, Mito-sama wants you to know she will be seeing you later tonight. She has other things to do for the day and apologizes for leaving Miyo with you," he told her with a nervous smile.

"She what?" her eyebrow twitched. "Fine. I suppose I have no choice."

"Looks like your stuck with me," Miyo said in a singsong tone, chuckling to herself.

"I also have something I must ask... in private if you don't mind Sakura-chan," he said eyeing Madara who was giving him a cautious glare.

"I suppose so. Watch Miyo," Sakura said to him while having Uzashi walk away with her for a moment.

"What!? I am not babysitting a brat," he shouted, clenching his fist as he was ignored.

"Hehe," she said right next to Madara, startling him.

* * *

"What is it Uzashi?" Sakura sighed, stopping so she could keep an eye on Miyo while speaking with him.

"First, I must ask if you will be returning to Uzushio. The medics are having a hard time," he mentioned with worry.

"I will give the previous medics sent back a chance but if things do not play out well I might but not for long," she said with her finger to her lip as she started to think of what to do.

She had worried about the medics there. It was probably because they were on their own and nervous about running things smoothly. She did not want to have to go back so soon but if things got too bad then she would have to. She could not imagine what could possibly be wrong and it started to maker her uneasy.

"I-I also w-wanted to ask..." he started as he stumbled with words, avoiding direct eye contact. "If you would want to go to dinner with me tonight?"

"Uh well..." She was a bit shocked by his sudden question. He was so nervous to ask and was blushing, something she had never seen before. She didn't want to hurt his feelings seeing as he must have had to muster up the courage to ask. "Sure. I know a good place that recently opened."

"Great, I guess I will see you later tonight then," he said looking down.

"Just stop by anytime. I have the rest of the day off," she smiled.

"Sounds good. I have to get going now. Have fun with Miyo," he said before rushing off.

She crossed her arms and sighed. He was too sweet to let down with a quick no. She still felt guilty for the time she turned Naruto down the day he had returned to Konoha after training with Jiraiya for two and a half years. It wouldn't make up for it but she still felt like she owed him and Uzashi reminded her of the knucklehead so much that it almost did. Besides they haven't seen each other in some time and it would be a good time to hang out and relax.

She heard a scream from Miyo and rushed back only to find Madara chasing the red head around the forest in aggravation. He caught her in a head lock, his hands shaking with anger. Those two in the same room was something Sakura feared yet forgot about when Uzashi asked to speak with her. Miyo bit Madara hard, drawing blood and giving her a chance to escape. Before she got far past her Sensei, Sakura grabbed the end of her hair and yanked back causing the girl to fall back.

"Miyo, what have we told you?" Sakura said sternly, tapping her foot.

"Respect others the way you wish to be respected," she mumbled.

"Then apologize."

"Why should I apologize to the old geezer. He can't even take a joke!" Miyo argued.

"Old geezer!? I am not that old!" Madara shouted, angered.

"Miyo!" Sakura yelled, fist clenched and a deadly glare. Miyo jumped up as quickly as she could and bowed.

"Gomen'nasai!"

"Now," Sakura said before grabbing onto both of them." I do not want to deal with stubbornness." She looked at Madara. "Or hear complaining." She looked at Miyo. "Understood?"

"Hai," they whined in union as she dragged them towards her place.

* * *

She poured the tea into the cups trying to ignore the two sitting across from one another, glaring at each other. So much for first impressions. Miyo was a brat and was able to annoy those around her who were serious. Madara took things a bit too serious lately and was easily annoyed, especially after earlier today. Things were worse than Sakura could have imagined, the tension was terrible.

She sat down silently, giving everyone time to cool off. First thing was first, she had to send a message to the Uzushio Hospital to find out what was going on and needed the truth to know if she needed to return. It wasn't something she wanted to do so soon but this was her life now and she needed to do what was needed. Keeping an eye on Madara was what concerned her the most.

"Prick," Miyo simply said, narrowing her eyes at Madara. Sakura shook her head and groaned into her cup before she sipped, already tired of the two constantly causing the tension to rise.

"Brat," he replied back annoyed.

"Jealousy," she said in her usual playful and smiling self.

"Shut it!" he shouted standing from his seat and slamming his hands on the table.

_"Why did I think this was a good idea?"_ Sakura thought as her eyebrow twitched.

"Make me," she challenged.

"Sit down Madara. Miyo... go to the room," Sakura demanded. Without another word Miyo got up and guzzled down her tea before running upstairs. "She can be very bratty. Ignoring her can irritate her until she finally gives up."

"Unfortunately I do not have that kind of patience," he remarked, sitting.

"Or temper," she added. "Do not give me that look, you know it's true."

"Hn." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chairs. She was tempted to trip the chair once again but decided against it.

"What is bothering you the most? The lack of trust from Tobirama or the fact he absolutely ignored your existence?" she asked, as she imitated him. His eyes shifted her way, narrowing. "Yes I noticed." she answered.

"Why talk to you about it? You wouldn't understand," he replied looking away.

"It depends on which issue. I can understand both... believe it or not."

He remained silent, looking her way. When sharing stories she did mention some things that did seem to shift to both choices. The last thing either of them wanted was to argue over something so ridiculous. He sighed and sat right once again, closing his eyes. If he didn't give an answer, she wouldn't press the issue too much. Though she was a good person to talk to.

"Both and neither. It is one thing to be ignored but it is worse when your very existence seems to be overlooked by someone it is extremely irritating. When it comes to trust... I do not trust him anyway so it should not bother me if he does not trust me."

She adjusted herself and looked down at her tea cup. It was obvious a nerve was it hit, she didn't blame him for being that pissed. Thinking back on it she started to regret not knocking Tobirama out for insulting her and delivering the message herself. Then again she hated to admit he had a point when it came to her short temper. Something she was still working on.

"I also..." Madara started, looking in her direction. "Talking with Hashirama about things has made me a bit..."

"Emotional?" she guessed by the current look in his eyes. He nodded slightly, grabbing his cup and sipping at his tea.

"I should go." He stood, already making his way to the door.

"Wait..." Sakura said following. He stopped and turned to her. "If you want to talk about it later then you can come by tonight."

"Maybe," he said with a small sigh as he opened the door.

"It has to be later in the night. I have to go out with Uzashi to Kokoro Sushi in a bit." As soon as she said it he froze, eyebrow twitching.

"Uzashi? The other Uzumaki?" he questioned.

"Y-yeah," she replied, getting a bad vibe.

"Hm, interesting," he mumbled. "I'll see you later then."

As he left she questioned herself, wondering if she should have told him.

* * *

Mito knocked on the door, watching as the sun began to set. She had been around the place all day, being sidetracked to observe the explained village. She had not realized she would miss so much begin away for such a short time. She sighed and waited patiently, hearing stumbling inside. The door opened and Hashirama stood there, a bit distraught until he saw her.

"Mito-chan!" he exclaimed happily.

"Hashi," she smiled.

"Come in. We have so much to catch up on," he said moving to the side.

She walked in and noticed how clean the place was. She took of her sandals and followed her fiancee to the dining area. As she entered she noticed Tobirama standing by a window, arms crossed as usual. Hashirama quickly sat down, knocking into the table, so they could talk.

"I thought you were arriving a couple days from now," he said.

"We decided to depart a bit early and made it here a day earlier than predicted," she explained.

"So what did Honshi-dono say?" he asked a bit impatient. She sighed at his excitement, seeing as how he really shouldn't be as anxious as he is.

"As I said before, as long as we are at the Uzumaki Shrine there is no problem. He will be arriving next week for the Ceremony," she replied happily.

"Next week?" Tobirama questioned.

"It is short notice but things have already been prepared for some time," she nodded.

Hashirama sat there pondering the news. He had been waiting to hear about the wedding plans from Honshi and now it seems things were coming to fruition. This would be his second time going through with the wedding and it was a bit strange to him since he had to do it more than once. He did not mind though, at least he would once again be with his love.

Though things were happening differently already. He was marrying Mito around the time they would have first allied with the Uzumaki, Madara was no where to be found after they departed and Everything was almost in place over a few years sooner. He wondered how much of the future was changing because of it. It really didn't matter too much to him but he was concerned for Sakura.

She was adapting but lately he could tell she was trying to stay away from the crowds. It was worrying him more than he realized it could. Should he have just brought Tobirama along to begin with? Or maybe chose one of the others in her place? He couldn't help but wonder just what was going on since he was so busy keeping things in order until he became Hokage.

It was inevitable, he would be Hokage again and Madara would be pushed towards his darker self. Right now he had to plan how to stop that from happening but it was difficult. He did not want to kill him again, especially since he survived somehow and Hashirama had no idea how.

"Hashi, you look concerned," Mito noted.

"Oh I do? I just have so much on my mind lately. Forgive me," he said rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry too much," she commented. The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hashirama once again got up to open it.

"Madara?" he asked confused. The man stood there with his hand on his hip and a scowl on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt but I have some things to talk to you about," he said, keeping his voice low.

"Oh is that so?" he said with a goofy smile.

"We didn't get a chance to finish our previous conversation after all," he continued.

"Well now isn't a good time," Hashirama said with a slight groan.

"Later then. We can meet somewhere when you are ready," he suggested.

"Sure. I can come to your place."

"No, I was thinking about going to eat somewhere. How does Kokoro Sushi sound?"

* * *

_**Author's Note: So Sorry For the Late Update! I moved out of my parents for the first time last week so I decided to take this chapter slow and get my stuff together but I'll be back to writing regularly now! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. ^.^**_


	14. Chapter 13

_**Quick note: I have a poll on my profile regarding Miyo's story and a one-shot I will be doing a few chapters down the line. So I need help deciding the name! ^_^ Check it out and place your votes.**_

* * *

It took some time for Hashirama to leave, since Mito was around, but at last the two were on their way to the Sushi place. After a long walk they found it, Hashirama boasting about how he had given the idea to the owners an idea for opening the place. Madara just rolled his eyes as they walked him before he looked around, spotting the pink haired Shinobi in the back.

There were a few tables set up for people to sit in large groups and then a place to sit up at for a single person or smaller group. The smell of simmering fish and soy sauce filled the air with constant chatter of the crowd. Sakura and the Uzumaki boy were already enjoying their plate of food. Madara found a quick empty spot and led Hashirama to sit. He made sure to sit on the side towards the exit, so he had a view of Sakura.

He couldn't put his finger on it but for some reason the red head made his blood boil when around her. Especially with the way he talked about her when she wasn't around. It probably wouldn't have been such a bad thing if he hadn't allowed the little brat to get into his head with her constant quick story synopsis about the two being together. She tried to prove a point of his jealous... which obviously worked.

Now here he was, spying on the two. He was willing to deal with Hashirama and the risky chance of him catching on to what was happening. The last thing he wanted was the bratty Uzumaki and the annoying Senju to bug him about it and never let it go. Madara had planned on just letting it go but somehow he found himself plotting to find out just how much they liked each other.

"Madara, are you listening?" Hashirama asked with his arms crossed.

"Uh, what?" he asked, confused. He had paid a great deal of his attention to the two that he hadn't been paying attention to what was going on.

"Nothing," he sighed with a slight grin. "I order for us since you were spacing out." Madara tensed, cursing himself for being careless.

"Oh... right. I just have too much on my mind," he said folding his arms on the table.

"Understandable. But what can cause you to lose focus to that extent?" Hashriama asked with concern.

"Nothing that concerns you," he said quickly, trying to keep him out of it. He glanced over to see her trying to hold back laughter while Uzashi continued to stare at her.

"Sakura-chan, ne?" Madara froze when Hashirama spoke, looking back at the two. Luckily it seemed he did not notice the glares Madara had been giving and was just surprised to see them. But panic struck when the Senju arose from his seat.

"What are you doing?"

"I should probably go speak with them. After all there are some matters I must discuss with Sakura-chan and we need to find a time when we are not busy," he said with a nod to himself.

"You can do that some other time. Sit down, we have other things to discuss. It can wait," Madara said trying to stay calm. Hashirama had ignored him, and his plea, as he was already on his way to them.

"It's your own fault for letting me get into your head about Uzashi's crush on her." Madara almost jumped from his seat when Miyo spoke, hanging halfway in the window next to him.

"What are you doing here? And do not try to put the blame on me!" he growled.

"Why not? It is your fault," she giggled.

"No it is not. If anything you are the one who should be to blame," he argued.

"Why, just because I hit a nerve and told you the truth about Uzashi and his constant dreaming of Saura-sensei?" she nagged, gaining pleasure from his anger state.

"If we were not in such a place I would beat you senseless!" he half shouted.

"I believe you," she smiled mockingly. "I am here to help. Admit it, you have a crush on her too. And you want her," Miyo grinned.

Madara clenched his fist in anger, glancing back at the group. Sakura was speaking with Hashirama, with a slight irritated look since he had disturbed them, and Uzashi was looking at them confused. He had to admit it, but somehow the powerful Uchiha Clan head was crushing on the pink haired Uzumaki medic. He felt as if he would make a fool of himself... like Hashirama. Worse part was the fact that Miyo didn't need him to say it to know.

"Why help me? Shouldn't you be helping him instead?" he asked crossing his arms.

"I thought about it but I think Sakura-sensei may think of Uzashi as family more than a potential love interest. If anything I don't see her thinking of anyone as a love interest," Miyo said now sitting next to him. This girl was swift and made it hard for a Shinobi to even notice her presence.

"If so then what do you suppose I do?" he asked with a mocking tone.

"What you have been. She has your respect and you have hers. If anything that is the first step. Next step is to get her to know you on a more personal level, and I mean personal," she smiled deviously, making him uneasy.

"How would that work? She is closed off to others most of the time when away from the Hospital," he noted.

"I know. One thing notable about Sakura-sensei is that even though she had a tough time with the nightmares about her traumatic past, she was able to push through and enhance her abilities so she could be a stronger person thanks to Mito-sama. But her loneliness is her one vulnerability. Mito-sama is the only one she trusts and feels happy around. Without her, she will subconsciously shut herself away from others as much as possible," Miyo rambled on.

"Is there a point to this?"

"I am getting there," she pouted. "With Mito-sama around she will be willing to be around more. Now is your chance to get to know her and have her get to know you. And another way to do that without Mito-sama around is, if the oh so brilliant Uchiha head hasn't already figured out, through her comfort zone. The Hospital."

If she did not have a point to it, he would have strangled her right then and there. But she was right. The only time Sakura ever spoke with anyone was at the Hospital. She was an open book at the Hospital. If he had admitted his liking to her a while ago, he would have had the perfect opportunity. He still did have an opportunity, but Uzashi making his move first was a problem.

"Do not worry about Uzashi, you just need to keep him away for a month or so and we will be back in Uzushio in no time. Then you have time to make your move," Miyo giggled as the Sushi plates Hashirama had ordered were brought to the table.

"I suppose it could work. Why help me? I do not understa..." He stopped mid-sentence when Miyo started to help herself to the Sushi.

"Easy," she said as she swallowed. "I get the feeling you two can understand each other. Sometimes through loss can one find there union. Something my Kaa-sama and oji-san taught me," she smiled, grabbing one last piece with her chopsticks before getting up.

"Through loss, one can find union?" he whispered to himself.

"Interesting way to see things right? You both lost someone dear to you, in her case many, so why not find a way to use that to connect and understand one another? Ja na."

Miyo calmly walked out, proud of herself it would seem. It was something he thought about since that night they talked but he did not think to push the matter. He wanted to know more about what she had talked about and to know more about her past but he fear it would cause a rift between them. As if it was a taboo subject for her. But maybe it would be a good way to get to know her.

He sighed when he glanced over to where there was commotion. Sakura was arguing with, more like yelling at, Hashirama about something and then turned her attention towards Uzashi. If that wasn't bad enough Hashirama and Uzashi were starting to argue. What the hell did he miss when he talked with Miyo? Madara stood and ran over to them, trying to get a handle on the situation.

"I am done here. I do not want to be around either of you for the next few days. If you two dare come approach me first I swear I will beat you into a bloody pulp!" she shouted running from them, pushing past Madara. He couldn't tell if her tears that formed were from anger or if someone had said something that may have hurt her. And he voted for the latter due to how close her voice was to breaking.

"I cannot take you anywhere without you causing trouble," he told Hashirama, a hand on his hip.

"This is your fault! Both of you," Uzashi said, extremely pissed.

"Senju-sama, I must ask on behalf of our guests if you can..."

"You have no need to say anymore. I understand completely. Gomen'nasai," he bowed to the older woman working there before rushing out with Madara. Uzashi followed but was already rushing down the street.

"What happened?" Madara asked, watching Hashirama panic.

"We all may have said somethings," he said scratching the back of his head.

"As in?"

* * *

She hated them all right now. Every last one of them. She had been enjoying a nice evening with a friend, something she needed and Hashirama randomly comes by. It was fine, all he wanted was to find out when they could talk, possibly about their situation and what to do. But Uzashi had to open his big mouth and say something about Madara. She had no idea that he could be so spiteful towards anyone.

Without realizing it she had defended the Uchiha, taking Hashirama's side. But then when Hashirama started to argue with Uzashi she took the Uzumaki's side and the next thing she knew they were all arguing and going against each other. She had thought Uzashi to be a decent person but he was even worse than Tobirama! She had gotten to know people in this time very well and even if Madara was still her enemy, she could understand certain things that would cause him to be the way he is and it bothered her when Uzashi did not care and had a one track mind.

She stormed through the streets, making her way to the house as quickly as she could. It was times like that when you could see just how people think. Sure they may not mean what they say to that extreme but when arguing over a subject, you can see how someone does feel about it. And if they just use words to hurt you then that makes them even worse. She learned that over the years and tried to avoid it as much as possible.

Hashirama, as expected, was as calm as he could be. He just wanted to prove his point and only blew up over it when Uzashi started to compare people and mentioned Tobirama. She could not stand the mans attitude but she did understand why Tobirama did what he did and said what he said. She wanted to stay out of it then but the Uzumaki angered the Senju to a point she had never seen or expected to ever see.

In the end this night turned out horribly. She went into her house and slammed the door, wiping her tears. She was so frustrated and upset with them all. The stress had finally gotten to her, she started to break down. Sakura ran upstairs and into her room, throwing herself on the bed and crying. She needed to speak with Mito, as soon as she woke in the morning.

"Sakura-sensei!?" Miyo shouted in question, entering the house with knocking once again. Sakura cleared her throat as best as she could.

"Go home Miyo," was all she could say.

"Sakura-sensei, are you alright?" she answered, entering the room. Sakura buried her head in the pillow and ignored her. "Mito-sama is going to the Hot Springs, would you like to come with us? I am sure it will do you some good to relax."

Sakura nodded after she thought it over, trying to dry her tears as much as she could before Miyo grabbed the stuff to get ready. At least she didn't have to wait until morning. She hoped Mito would be able to calm her down. That was the only reason she was going to the Hot Springs.

* * *

_**Author's Note: This was going to be longer but I wanted to update. The second part will be up in a couple days to make up for it since it will be a pretty long chapter. Haven't had good internet connection lately so I lost a good bit when writing earlier, thus the extra late update. So yeah, enjoy.**_


	15. Chapter 14

Miyo dragged Sakura along to the Hot Springs and apparently, from what the little girl had said, Mito had no idea they were going to be there. Miyo had a habit of doing that often with multiple people, always dragging people places and interrupting conversations just because she felt she could. Sakura did not mind once she got there, since she tried her hardest to distract herself from what happened earlier.

She looked around curiously, considering these Hot Springs never existed in her timeline. Many things changed over the years and she had to get use to this Konoha while trying not to forget her Konoha. The walls were white with vines painted around the room starting from the entrance, various flower petals falling from the buds. After entering, Miyo excitedly places their stuff in a compartment before undressing as quickly as she could while Sakura admired the artwork.

"Sakura-sensei, come on," she said with a smile. She nodded and undressed, both heading into the next room to wash up before going in to see Mito.

The woman was humming to herself while running her hands through her long red hair. She looked up at them with surprise and then concern as she looked at Sakura. Miyo hopped in the water while Sakura got in slowly. She growled when Miyo splashed her with a giggle, Mito grabbing her hair and yanking it to get her to stop.

"Sakura-chan, what is wrong? I haven't seen you so upset since you first arrived in Uzushio," Mito said with a stern voice, knowing how stubborn the pinkette could be.

"I don't want to talk about it at this moment if you don't mind Mito-chan," she sighed, swimming over to the edge with her.

"Before we leave you are going to talk with me," she told her.

"I know," she said, crossing her arms over the edge and laying her head on top of them.

"Sakura-sensei I brought you here so you can talk about it. I mean I don't know what Hashirama-sama and Uzashi said to upset you but..."

"Hashirama and Uzashi?" Mito said with alarm, and anger.

"How do you know?" Sakura snapped at her, not realizing how harsh she sounded.

"I... may have been around," she said scratching the back of her head, smiling nervously.

"You little brat," she groaned.

"I know but I sensed something was wrong and you know me... I have to find out what, and why..." Miyo explained with quickness.

"Leave her be Sakura-chan. Of all people how could those two upset you?" Mito ask swimming closer to her.

"Especially to get you to cry that badly." Miyo quickly shut her mouth and drove under water when Sakura glared at her.

"Uzashi is the main person who upset me. He is acting strange these days and I want to know why. He asked me to out with him tonight and when I did, Hashirama showed up. He apparently was with someone there and saw me. We have thing we need to discuss and have been busy, thus he came to find out when. Next thing I know Uzashi is saying bad things about Madara and naturally we defended him. But then..."

"Sakura-chan?" Mito got worried as she began to tear up.

"We all started to argue over it. I don't really understand why we went at it that badly. Uzashi just gave off this aura of hatred and when he got started everything went wrong and even Hashriama and I got into it," she sobbed, starting to tell the story as best as she could.

"Hashirama is not the kind of man to just argue that way. It is hard to image all that happening. Uzashi though, he has been strange since we got here," Mito commented, rubbing Sakura's back.

"It was because he said something about Tobirama that was offensive from what I gather, and that set him off. I can't remember it all right now, its all just too much," Sakura cried.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, after a good nights rest you should feel better," Mito said, sighing.

This was worrisome. Ever since they departed from Uzushio, Uzashi has acted strange. After they got to the village, he became a bit distant and cold. What cold have possibly done that to him? Whatever it was, she had to find out. Mito was not about to let him ruined Sakura's life, and definitely was not going to disrespect her soon to be husband. Or his brother.

"Miyo, who...?" Mito stopped mid sentence when she noticed the girl was gone. "Why does she always do that!?"

* * *

Sakura groaned as the light hit her eyes. Her head hurt and her tongue was sticking to her mouth. She had cried so much last night and didn't replenish the water she needed. After crying her eyes out at the Hot Springs, Mito invited her to her temporary home so she would not be alone. And she eventually start to cry once again, but that time was because of everything building up over time.

She had been so stress and did not have enough time to really think about what was going on to the point that it all came to her when she was most vulnerable. She tried to be strong but Sakura knew eventually it would happen. At least she didn't say anything to Mito that could have let her know her secret. That was the last thing she needed.

She got up and rubbed her eyes, getting out of bed when she smelled breakfast. When Mito cooked, it was a full table of food and admittedly something Sakura missed. She went downstairs to see the twins helping in the kitchen, for the first time ever, with her friend already fixing up the last bit of food. She sat down as the twins plated the table with extra plates.

"What got you into cooking so much food?" she asked, grabbing the cup of water Mito set down for her.

"I have company coming over for breakfast," she smiled. "It'll give you time to talk while I go straighten out Uzashi," she whispered.

"Oh," she sighed.

With that being said, there was a knock at the door. Before they got to it, Miyo opened it and walked right in leaving the two Senju dumbfound at her lack of care. Mito motioned for them to enter as she plated the food. Miyo hopped into the seat next to Sakura before anyone else could. Hashirama sat on her other side with Mito sitting next to him. Miyo had a sudden smirk of mischief when Tobirama sat next to her. Sakura suddenly regretted giving her a secret mission.

_"I did not think that through,"_ she thought, mentally slapping herself.

"I should apologize for last night. I should have left you two alone until you finished," Hashirama said looking at her.

"Let's just try to forget it. But we do have things to discuss later," she said as he nodded.

"If you kick my leg one more time, I swear I will..."

"Tobirama!" Hashirama snapped as Tobirama and Miyo glared at each other.

* * *

The twins cleaned up, being surprisingly compliant to what Mito asked. Then again they were always in trouble until she came around. Then they feared getting into trouble even more than with Sakura around. It was fun to watch. Tobirama excused himself when he had enough of Miyo kicking him under the table, only for her to do as he did and follow him. Miyo really did not care what the consequences were when annoying people.

"Mito-chan, where are you going?" Hashirama asked as she placed the tea down for them all.

"I have some important matters to attend to. I will be back," she smiled at him before leaving.

"What exactly do we need to discuss?" Sakura asked, pouring them tea.

"I mainly wanted to thank you for keeping Madara busy lately. It is around this time he had started to change and I do believe it is because he had overheard a conversation between Tobirama and I," he told her taking a sip of his tea.

"Really?" she asked confused, holding her cup in her hands tightly.

"After the meeting with the Feudal Lords, he had overheard a discussion which consisted of Tobirama giving me information on a rumor of how the Uchiha's hatred caused the Sharingan. This was before he had figured out the truth to it of course. Madara must have overheard and began to distance himself, not trusting anyone. Perhaps it was because of the lack of trust others had of him that caused things to go so badly," Hashirama said, a sigh before crossing his arms.

"So just by inviting him to tea I helped avoid that?" she questioned, getting a nod in response.

"Maybe it was a good thing I brought you here. What was meant to happen seems to continue on, even if certain events happen quicker than they did last time." She instantly knew he was talking about his marriage. "But ultimately you have changed many lives being around. I felt guilty for throwing you into this without a second thought but now it seems as if it was the right choice. Through the pain you became stronger and can even handle someone like Madara," he chuckled.

"What is so funny?" she asked crossing her arms with a pout.

"I expected you to hate him. But somehow you to have become friends in a way. If anything I honestly thought you would be afraid but that went away when you first punch him in battle."

"Yeah well he pissed me off," she said, looking at her bracelet with a smile. "But I guess I learned how to just go with the flow of life and try to live without resentment. Hatred started this and I have to make sure no one gets wrapped up in it, even myself."

"Well said."

Sakura took a sip of her tea before looking at the staircase with worry. The twins went up to do their chores but through the entire conversation they seemed to have disappeared. She quickly got up and went up, leaving Hashirama confused. She saw a room door cracked and looked in, only to find them slouching over the bed. One was just being lazy and bored while the other was napping.

She would have told them to finishing cleaning the rooms, as Mito had asked of them, but it was a good thing they were there. After all, when the two began to talk, she had forgotten about them and the last thing she needed was for someone to find out what was going on. The toughest thing to do in life was to keep that a secret.

She went back downstairs, hearing Tobirama and Hashirama talking. Miyo was sitting in her chair, playing with the tea cup. When she told Miyo to give Tobirama a hard time, she didn't mean for her to follow him around the whole time. Then again it was Miyo, she did missions her own way anyway.

"Sakura-chan, we will be leaving now. I suppose we can talk more later," he nodded to himself.

"Yeah. Take care you two," she said as the two left.

"He is going to see Mito-sama," Miyo commented.

"I know," Sakura smiled, thinking about their conversation as she took a seat.

She had never really put to much thought into it but it did seem like she had befriended Madara. At first it was strange to be around him knowing what she knew, yet he somehow made it easy to be around him. And she was never afraid like she even expected to be upon meeting him. The changes she had gone through made her a better and stronger person. And that made her smile.

She wanted her team to see her the way she is now but that was never going to happen. But at least she knew them well enough to know they would be proud. Especially her Shisho and Sensei.

* * *

**_Author's Note: Here is the next part, took a bit to get together. I will upload Miyo's story soon I just need a few more votes to get an idea of what to call her story so for those who can, go to my profile and vote!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note: Sorry everyone! I haven't forgotten about the story or you guys. I've just been under so much stress with my relationship (almost broke up), try to find a job and some other stuff to the point I was running on a total of eight hours of sleep for three days x.x , but I made sure to keep adding to the story until I was able to update. It will not be the best but I tried to do a little something before the wedding chapter. As always thanks for the support of my story! :)**_

* * *

Hashirama couldn't stop smiling, and laughing to himself. At the moment he was trying to find a way to ignore Tobirama's questions as to why he was so happy, luckily he had a short Uzumaki pestering the man. He wanted to say more to Sakura but did not think it would be the right time. The Senju was no fool and knew exactly why Madara brought him along last night when he saw Sakura. Hashirama was just very good at acting clueless... since it was expected of him.

He was not sure just how well the two would match up, given the situation. But then again he had never though Madara to take interest in a woman. And of all women to take an interest in it had to be Sakura. The way she would react was the only thing that worried him. It would be hard for her to even find a significant other if she did at all but for it to be Madara, well that would be out of the question.

But with the way she was it made it hard for him to imagine how she would react. If she reacted the wrong way or ended up saying or doing something wrong, Madara would surely begin to go back to his old self. To the angry, hateful and revenge seeking Uchiha he ended up as. Hashirama wanted nothing more than to keep his village safe with his friend by his side. Heartbreak to that degree would make things worse in his opinion.

Those thoughts were why he was trying to give her a little push emotionally, to try to get her to accept him in some way. It was wrong to be doing what he was, practically manipulating the situation but it was for the future. He could have just told her what he expected and asked her to just give in. After a good punch, more so a possible near death experience, she would think on it. He didn't want her to feel forced just to save the future. He wanted her to be able to do what she needed and still be happy.

With a sigh, he looked over to Tobirama and Miyo. He couldn't help but stop for a second in complete shock, speechless. He was wondering why the were no longer arguing but did not expect to see him giving her a piggyback ride...willingly while holding a conversation. Especially after what she pulled the other day. No one really knew this girl before Sakura took her in. Which for a moment made Hashirama wonder, what happened to Miyo in the other timeline?

* * *

Sakura washed her hands from the blood, thankful the emergency surgery was a success. She had very few patients in her life that needed surgery to that degree. It ended up being exhausting. But she got the man through and was able to give some information to the team that headed out to find out what happen. She dried her hands and left the room, heading back to her office to finish paperwork.

She was starting to understand why Tsunade never got anything done. There was just so much crap piling up and barely anytime to get to it with every little problem coming her way. She sat down, leaned back in the chair and sighed. She was stressed beyond belief, but that was because it was only a couple days away from the wedding, Uzashi has been having terrible mood swings and she hasn't been able to talk to anyone since breakfast the other morning.

Sakura sat up straight and began to go over everything. It took a few hours but she was able to go through most of it, finish putting records together and filing them. She walked out of her office and went down the halls, until she spotted Miyo running. She was about to yell when she saw Madara round the corner, instantly understanding why the girl was running for her life. She quickly grabbed the collar of her shirt, even though Miyo tried to dodge Sakura as she ran, and yanked her back.

"What did you do this time?" she asked, looking down at her.

"Nothing," Miyo answered with swiftness. Sakura immediately looked over to Madara.

"She's insulting," he snapped, putting a hand on his hip.

"Hah," Miyo simply stuck out her tongue like a brat. In return Sakura brushed her finger over it, causing Miyo to freak and start spitting.

"Clean your spit up when your done," she said walking down the hall.

"That is disgusting," Madara commented, walking beside her.

"It's what she gets," Sakura replied, wiping her finger on her outfit. It needed washing anyway.

"Aren't you worried about germs and diseases you might get. Or give her?" he asked with his arms crossed.

"Iie. I have no worries when it comes to Miyo. Besides, I know what I touch and I sanitize more than anyone. For good reason," she smiled in response.

"Are you busy?" he asked after a moment.

"Not really. I did all I can do today and I only have less than an hour here with nothing to do when I get home. Why?"

"Curiosity. Perhaps we can take a walk when you are finished," he suggested. Sakura thought of the idea for a second, she didn't want to go home after she got off since Uzashi, who was still being a prick, would probably be hanging around.

"Sure. I probably need some time to relax," she smiled.

They exited the Hospital as Sakura said her goodbyes to the staff before they began to walk. They held a simple conversation, as Sakura seemed to have a hard time concentrating. She tried to pay attention but her mind was blanking when it came to answering a question or focus on talking. Every time she started to talk about something she would have to stop for a minute just to get her mind back on track.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" he asked while stopping, concerned.

"Yeah. What was I saying?" she asked, rubbing her head. It was beyond embarrassing, considering in an hour this would be the third time she asked.

"You were complaining about Inomi and Miyo. The usual," he joked.

"Oh right," she laughed. "The two have been getting into so much trouble. I am ready to just tell Uzashi and Miyo to go home before the wedding."

"Less than a week. Then you have no more problems," he half told her and himself. The sooner Uzashi was gone the quicker Sakura would be able to focus and Madara could finally do what he wanted without worrying about the annoying redhead getting in his way. "What exactly could those two possibly do to cause trouble?"

"Ano..." Sakura started, trying to think of an answer without giving away the secret mission. "Miyo likes to annoy people and has chosen Tobirama as we all know. Lately the two have been working together on that."

"Oh of course. The one thing that gives me pleasure in seeing," he smirked. Even though she annoyed him to no end, that fact that Miyo annoyed Tobirama even more made him feel good inside. It was almost worth dealing with the little girl sometimes.

Sakura stopped when when they were passing by the Academy. Inomi had actually starting going for her training to become a strong Shinobi. It was a relief and she was thankful for Miyo giving the girl a push. The two had a rivalry that reminded her of the way she and Ino would always pushed themselves to be better than the other, when it didn't come to Sasuke of course. Unfortunately times like this got to her emotionally.

"Are you okay?" Madara asked with concern, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Just thinking about some things," she said letting out a sigh.

"You need to relax," her said lowering his hand to grab hers, pulling her with him.

* * *

He dragged her to a small tea shop to sit and talk. Both nodded to the woman who served the tea, though Sakura had to hold back a growl at the way she smiled at Madara. She didn't know why but it made her stomach turn. She grabbed her tea, sipping at it to distract herself as the woman went by. Her eyes following to make sure she didn't look back at them. Sakura focused her attention on Madara, who had a slightly confused look.

"What's with the nasty glare?" he asked.

"No reason," she replied with a smile.

"You need to try to relax more often. It is like you have been overworking yourself," he told her honestly.

She sighed, knowing the truth. She did have a good time with her friends lately but in the pit of her gut she felt as if something was wrong. Madara had obvious concern for her, which made things worse. Since her conversation with Hashirama, she started to think about everything that had happened before she was sent back. It was as if more and more reminders of her original time popped up and started to get to her emotionally.

And the fact that Hashirama was like Naruto to her caused even more pain. But the worse was thinking of Madara being so similar to Sasuke in the beginning. Though there are many differences and for some reason it was a good thing. But also a bad thing. Her feelings began to stir and she wanted nothing more than to be able to repress them. The last thing she wanted in life was to start crushing on her enemy. That's all he would ever be.

"Sakura-chan, what is really wrong? No matter what you say or do it is as if you can never be happy," he said truthfully, tapping his finger on the table.

"I... I don't want to talk about it. There is no point in talking about," she sighed with aggravation.

_"You honestly do not need to know,"_ she thought.

"Then what can I do to help. It is one thing to try to avoid people and try to pretend but I can see you are exhausted, worried and lately confused. You have dark circles under your eyes from it all," he said with a stern tone, arm folded in front of his chest.

_"Not my fault I can't sleep properly," _she snapped in her head.

"I just need time for myself. Between keeping up with Hashirama and Uzashi, making sure the Hospital runs smoothly, Miyo causing trouble and having people tell me to get out and have a life, I am starting to wonder if I even have a chance to..." she stopped herself before finishing.

"To what?"

_"Be happy,"_ she answered in her mind while gripping her cup with both hands.

"Sakura-chan?" he asked, stretching his hands across the table to overlap hers.

She looked up at him, unsure what to do. Before she could speak they both turned to the scoff that came from beside the table to see Uzashi standing there, eyebrows knitted and detest in his eyes. Madara glared, as if ready to respond to any remark the Uzumaki had to say. Sakura already could tell this was going to end up like the other night if they did not leave. She quickly grabbed her money and paid before grabbing them by their sleeves and rushing out.

"Do not do this again Uzashi, I am warning you now," she threatened. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself.

"I just came to inform you that Mito-sama has been looking for you," he said crossing his arms.

"Oh sure, that's the only reason YOU found us," Madara commented.

"She needs to see you, Sakura-chan, immediately. I am only doing what Mito-sama had asked," he said clicking his tongue.

At this point Madara was infuriated. He knew Uzashi interrupted on purpose. He could tell Sakura was about ready to scream and cry out in frustration like she had the other night. He wanted to hold back for her sake but the way Uzashi had said that simple sentence made him angry.

"Do you think I am really that stupid, boy? If she was looking for her she would have found her. Mito-san is a sensor and given her personality and such, no matter what she was doing or who she was with Mito-san would make sure she got to Sakura-chan on her own if it was a rushed situation. If it was a suggestion to want to see her then someone like you would get the idea to interrupt us on purpose," Madara ranted.

"Why would I do that?" he asked with an arrogant attitude.

"Because we all know that you cannot stand me and possibly hate my very existence," he replied crossing his arms.

"Damn right I do," Uzashi said through his teeth, getting up in Madara's face.

"For the record, the feeling is mutual."

"Damare!" Sakura shouted, both immediately turning to her. She couldn't hold back the tears of frustration and anger any longer. "I am sick and tired of you two fighting. For the rest of the time you are here, stay away from Madara," she directed at Uzashi. "And stay away from Uzashi. And then both of you stay away from me!"

With that being said she stormed off, wiping the tears from her cheeks. It would make things easier once Uzashi left. It also gave her an excuse to stay away from Madara for a while until she could get her head on straight. She was overly emotional and just needed time away from certain people to hopefully get things cleared up. It was not to long before the wedding and once it ended she would never have to worry about the two, at least not any time soon.

* * *

_**Quick Note: Miyo's story is up as well :)**_


	17. Chapter 16

Sakura walked behind Mito and Hashirama as the group made their way to the Uzumaki Temple in the Land of Fire. Today was the day of the wedding and everyone was excited. Leading them was the Kannushi followed by two Miko with Hashirama and Mito following. Behind them were Honshi and Tobirama, a few clan heads following them. Sakura was some distance away from them but could see Mito pretty well.

She had on a traditional a white shiro-kakeshita kimono with a white obi and an open white shiromuku kimono on the outside. Her hair was in the usual buns but this time had decorative pieces in them with a crown on her head. Hashirama had on a montsuki with white hakama and a black haori to go over. His sleeves embedded with the Senju symbol. The men all wore the same as Hashirama only with their respective clan symbols and blue hakama.

Sakura herself was wearing a navy blue kimono with red obi, the Uzumaki symbol on the sleeves and her hair tied up in a bun with chopsticks. She looked behind her to see Miyo, naturally, wearing the same thing with her hair in the same style. Sakura could swear that if the girl could find a way, she would permanently make her hair pink just to match. When her gaze met Uzashi's, she turned to look back ahead of her.

She sighed, looking down slightly. Chatter between the few Senju and Uzumaki could be heard more than anyone in front until they arrived at the temple. They were led up a short staircase and made their way towards the main Shrine. Sakura could not help but look around in awe at the beautiful colors as the cherry blossoms fell from the trees before looking back down.

"Sakura-chan, you should look a little more lively today of all days." She almost jumped when Madara spoke, dawdling enough so to speak with her.

"I know."

"Then at least try to enjoy yourself. Remember, Mito worries about you and the last thing you want is for her to sense how upset you seem to be," he said in a whisper to her.

"Believe me I am trying. But between the hospital and you all it, makes life rather difficult," she said looking towards Mito. She looked down to her hands instantly when Madara held it.

"Just focus on today and forget your worries. You will have to trust things will be okay until we head back to Konoha tomorrow," he said giving her a smile.

She felt the heat rising to her cheeks at the sudden closeness. Since she has been able to get things together the last few days, even though it has been hard, things were starting to be normal for her again. Though she was starting to wish it wasn't. She caught herself thinking about Madara quite a bit lately and it wasn't easy trying to keep her distance with him constantly wanting to be around her. Something she did not mind at first.

They parted as the group arrived, everyone going to their seats. In the sides of the room were placements for everyone to sit with a small table in front with a plate with a wide tea cup on it. Just ahead of the middle of the room was a table with two stands for the two who are marrying. The Kannushi directed the two as the Miko made sure things were ready.

Sakura sat close to the two as everyone got in their places. She and Mito took a glance at each other, only for a brief second. She could see how happy the redhead was even if she would never be able to show just how excited she was. Mito was always so calm in most situations where as Hashirama was always open and smiling while making jokes and showing just how he felt. To most people it was an odd match but those close to them knew otherwise.

After everyone was seated, the Kannushi had something brief to say before the Miko began by pouring the sake into the first of three cups and giving it to Hashirama. After he took his three sips they refilled it and gave it to Mito. She took her sips and then they put the cup away before starting on the second one. They repeated until the third cup was finished and the sake ceremony was completed.

As things continued, Sakura looked behind and to her side to see Uzashi. He looked like he was watching but something was off. She wasn't a sensor type but she knew if anyone ruined things it would be him. He was fine before everything started but now he was suddenly so stern. She looked down to her side to see Miyo glancing at her. She used her hand to hide her finger that pointed to Madara across from them.

At first Sakura didn't understand until Miyo looked in Uzashi's direction and rolled her eyes. Was Uzashi jealous that Madara held her hand when they arrived at the Temple? Was that what Miyo was trying to tell her? Then again it was possible, Uzashi had asked her out a few times, very few, but it still stood that he did ask. It wasn't like she and Uzashi were a couple. Nor was she a couple with Madara. She held back a groan thinking of how childish he was and paid attention to the ceremony.

The Miko were pouring into their tea cups now. After sipping Sakura looked across to meet Madara's gaze. She gave a small smile before looking back at Mito. Miyo's snickering made Sakura nudge her hard enough to get her to stop but not enough to make her yell out. She almost did but luckily Miyo knew better and just held it in. Why was she suddenly cursed with dealing with all the troublemakers?

* * *

After the wedding was over everyone was getting ready for the feast that Honshi and Tobirama had assembled for the two. Hashirama wanted to be able to spend time with those closest to him to make up for the lack of interaction as of late. So the two decided it would be best to get everyone together for such a thing. All the shoji doors were slid open and there was enough food for everyone and then some.

Sakura could not believe how energetic the atmosphere was from all the people in the room laughing and enjoying themselves. Then again when you got the right people drunk things didn't turn into a disaster. She sat close to the couple but stay by Miyo to keep an eye on her. Though at the moment the girl seemed to have an eye on someone else.

"Miyo, who are you staring at?" Sakura asked as she finally gave up on trying to ignore the situation.

"No one in particular," she giggled to herself.

"I fear for any one who ends up with you," she joked. Miyo stuck out her tongue in response.

"If you do not stop flicking food at me, I will hurt you," Tobirama gritted through his teeth. She had wondered why Miyo had to get more food and why some of it was gone by the time she returned.

"I didn't do it," Miyo smiled innocently.

"Miyo," Sakura groaned.

Tobirama stomped away, wiping rice off his sleeve. Sakura only smiled, enjoying how much Miyo's mission was paying off. Although since it was almost time for them to go she should probably have her stop. Tonight would be one of the last nights they were together. Which also meant she didn't have to deal with Uzashi's attitude anymore. As much as she hated it, Sakura knew she had to have a talk with him and straight things out before he left. After all, there was no guarantee she would return to Uzushio now that she was finally able to get things straight in her head. And he may never return to Konoha. She looked down at Miyo who for the first time in a long time seemed unhappy.

"Miyo, what's wrong?" Sakura asked worried.

"Do I have to go back?" she asked looking up at her with genuinely sad eyes.

"Of course. It has been the plan before you even got here. Don't you miss Uzushiogakure?"

"I do. But.." she looked over the area. Sakura saw her gaze land on Tobirama. "I'm attatched to someone and..."

"Of all people?" she questioned, looking at her.

"It cannot be helped who you end up admiring," Miyo said with a smile.

"You do realize you annoy him to the point he would say no before you even said anything about your feelings?"

"Oh I know." Miyo said with a sad smile. "But ya know what, as long as I can be around I do not think I mind the way things are."

Sakura didn't know what to even think. Maybe the mission was a mistake after all. She excused herself and went outside to get some fresh air so she could get her thoughts together. Sakura made her way to the cherry blossom trees near the entrance, hoping the scent will calm her. She wanted Miyo to go home and lead the hospital, she was really the only one capable of doing so. Which was a scary thought at first but in truth she could do it and had leadership qualities.

But she also wanted her to stay. The three would be together as a group again even if Mito was married. Then again even if she eased up on messing with Tobirama, she would still be heartbroken if anything happened that she did not expect. It was a tough decision to even think about bringing up to Honshi and Mito. In the end it was up to what they could all agree on. But Uzashi, as usual, would pose a problem.

"Trouble?" She looked back to see Madara, arms crossed with a grin.

"It's my business," she replied.

"No need to snap at me. I just asked," he defended as he advanced towards her.

"Gomen. It's just..."

"Hm?"

"Miyo wants to stay now and I do not think it would be such a good idea," she sighed.

"Why? She may be a bratty troublemaker but she has helped out at the Academy quite a bit and is a great Shinobi," he said, making her raise an eyebrow in amusement. That was not the kind of thing people would say about Miyo.

"That is partially the reason I need her in Uzushio, so the hospital runs properly without me."

"I heard from Mito that they were rebuilding the hospital. You have to go back anyway so why not find someone else capable?" he questioned.

"I don't know. I mean someone might be able to do it but I just..." she sighed and hugged herself. "I worry. They are my family and I just want them to be alright without me."

"Sakura-chan, stop worrying," Madara said as he put a hand on each of her shoulders. "For now let her go. Once you return find out how things are and make your decision from there and figure out if she will return to Konoha with you or if she will stay in Uzushio."

She looked up at him with a slight smile and a nod. If she knew the hospital was going to be alright, then she would have less of a reason to want Miyo to go back. Though the crush on Tobirama thing was something she had to figure out. There was no way she could go through life and not express her feelings and get crushed. Especially if he got married.

"Arigato. I guess I needed a little help to get things straight."

"Anytime Sakura-chan," he said in a bit of a whisper.

She could feel herself blushing and didn't know what to do now. He went from rubbing her shoulders to comfort her to around her waist and for the first time in her life, she was beyond speechless. She wondered if this was what it was like to be held by a genjutsu. Before she could say anything, her cupped her cheek and kissed her. Instead of going with her first instinct, which was usually to punch, she relaxed and kissed back.

* * *

_**Au**__thor'_s Note: Sorry it took longer than normal. I wanted this wedding to be as traditional as possible so I did lots of research. All I got to say is if there is something wrong so sue me, I tried my damnedest to get it right. If you want more of an idea of what Mito and Hashirama was wearing you can really just Google Japanese wedding apparel, though I'm sure most of you go the gist of it. Finally starting to get somewhere now hehe. Thanks for following. I seriously love you all. ^.^

_**Oh and for those who didn't know... **_

_**Kannushi = Priest**_

_**Miko = Shrine Maiden/Priestess**_


End file.
